The Indian fans almost lost the hope of an ODI series victory when the star-studded top-order was back in the hut early on Sunday. The chase of 260 against England seemed easy in the beginning but it turned trickier after the dismissals of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Suryakumar Yadav. When things looked like going south, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya joined forces and scripted a memorable win in Old Trafford.
Just like the old days, a pair of an audacious wicketkeeper-batter and a flamboyant all-rounder was dealing with a bunch of highly skilled English bowlers. Riding on their responsible knocks, India emerged victorious. The Men in Blue defeated Jos Buttler & Co by 5 wickets to seal the 3-match series 2-1.
Pandya scored a 55-ball 71 which came after his career-best ODI bowling figures of 4/24. On the other hand, Pant returned unbeaten on 125; his maiden century in the 50-over format.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar lauded Pandya and Pant for showcasing immense character in a crunch situation. Speaking with Sports Tak, the batting great said the duo complimented each other very well, just like MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh did in their playing days.
“Yes, Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant can definitely form a pair like Yuvraj and Dhoni. both had the ability to hit huge sixes and also ran well between wickets," Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
“Hardik has made his comeback at the right time because India desperately needed an all-rounder. Now they have both Pandya and Jadeja who can bat as well as bowl ten overs. You look at teams who won world championships in 1983, 1985, 2011, and 2013, all had good all-rounders," he added.
Gavaskar also highlighted that Pant paced his innings well and didn’t repeat the same mistakes which he committed against South Africa.
“Rishabh Pant seems to have learned from his mistakes against South Africa. He chased balls outside off stump to slog them over the leg side then, but the way he batted with responsibility yesterday shows how well he paced his innings," Gavaskar said.
“The way he smashed a flurry of boundaries towards the end showed that he is someone who can absorb pressure and then attack," he added.
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