On Thursday (January 31), the Men in Blue have received a severe beating in the penultimate One-day International of India vs New Zealand 2019 series by eight wickets at Seddon Park in Hamilton. Speedster Trent Boult rose to the occasion to make things miserable for the visitors in swinging conditions. However, former England skipper Michael Vaughan has quizzed about promising youngster Rishabh Pant, on not being part of the 50-over squad. Well, Vaughan’s former teammate Owais Shah had an apt response for the veteran batsman.
Vaughan’s comments came after India’s stinging loss against the Black Caps. Team India had a new leader in Rohit Sharma, as regular skipper Virat Kohli has been rested.
Batting first after losing the toss, India had a slow start before things went in Kiwis favour. Boult ran riot alongside Colin Grandhomme as both shared eight wickets between them. Boult, who bowled ten overs on the trot, bagged five wickets for 21, whereas, Grandhomme settled with three for 26 in his ten overs–to rattle visitors on 92 in 30.5 overs.
Owais Shah has a befitting reply for Michael Vaughan:
In response, the quality English batsman Owais, who played a crucial role for England Cricket Team, responded the reason is Mahendra Singh Dhoni to see Pant at the Bay.
Interestingly, Dhoni who has been criticised for his waning abilities returned to form during Australia’s limited-overs series. Following a Sydney slow-show, Dhoni went on to smash three consecutive fifties, before remaining unbeaten on 48 in the second ODI at the Bay Oval.
In 2019, Dhoni in four innings comprised of five matches has amassed 241 runs at the staggering average of 241.
The 37-year-old Ranchi-born Dhoni did not feature in the third and fourth ODI respectively due to a sore back. However, he is expected to make it to the playing XI for the fifth and final fixture against the Black Caps on February 3 in Wellington.
On the other side, Vaughan has praised the efforts of Pant in the recent past. The 21-year-old Pant has recently smashed a fine hundred in Sydney during the fourth Test of the four-match series after proving his mettle against England. He is definitely a contender to look at in the foreseeable future in the limited-overs format.
Moreover, the southpaw Pant was the second leading run-getter after Cheteshwar Pujara in series Down Under.
Pant’s ability to score runs at a brisk pace has set him apart. And above all, the age is on his side. He is among few players who are giving best to impress senior selectors ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
Earlier, the chairman of national selectors MSK Prasad has hinted of keeping Pant for the plans of the quadrennial event.
Here’s the tweet from Michael Vaughan as Ovais Shah came up with a thoughtful reply:
Probably because the best wicket keeper batsman in the world is keeping him out of the side. #record #worldcuparoundthecorner
— Owais shah (@owaisshah203) January 31, 2019