Rishabh Pant rose to the occasion during the second T20I against West Indies on Friday, slamming a half-century (52* off 28 deliveries) to steer India’s score to 186/4 in 20 overs. The side eventually registered an 8-run win after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel bowled brilliantly in the final two overs to resist the Windies fightback, led by Rovman Powell (68*) and Nicholas Pooran (62).
Rishabh Pant forged a 76-run stand in merely 35 deliveries with fellow left-hander Venkatesh Iyer, who played a crucial 33-run knock off 18 balls. Venkatesh Iyer arrived after the dismissal of Virat Kohli, who scored 52 but India’s run-scoring rate remained undeterred, thanks to consistent hitting from both batters during their stay at the crease.
Rishabh Pant Was In A Perfect Mindset: Ajay Jadeja
Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja noted that the onus of power-hitting was not solely on Rishabh Pant, which allowed him to play with a clear mindset. Rishabh Pant played a splendid knock in the second T20I and scored 52 runs in just 28 deliveries. His knock included seven fours and one six.
“Today was fabulous. More than skill, I admire the temperament that he showed. Guys batting at 4, 5, 6, 7, when they start with a boundary, they have couple of balls to take their time and get into a better mindset. Throughout those 28 balls, he was in a perfect mindset,” Ajay Jadeja said.
“He was joined with Venkatesh Iyer; the other problem I had with him is that sometimes, he (Pant) thinks he is the only one who has to hold the innings together.
“Today, they (Pant and Iyer) played as partners – 35 balls 76 (runs), it’s (the partnership) just not dependent on Rishabh Pant. He’s got 17-ball 36, he’s got a partner who scored 18-ball 33 as well.”
Rishabh Pant received the MOTM award for his knock of 52 in just 28 balls. Since Rohit Sharma was named as India’s permanent skipper in T20I and ODI cricket, the Men in Blue are yet to lose a single game.
A 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand in a T20I series in November followed by the same result in the ODI series against West Indies earlier this month and now India finds themselves on the brink of another whitewash in the T20I series against the West Indies.
Ajay Jadeja: It Was Probably The Most Mature Innings From Rishabh Pant In The Last 6 Months
Ajay Jadeja further added that the partnership put the pressure back on the bowlers, while adding that this is the “most mature innings” he saw from Rishabh Pant in the past six months.
“What that does is that it takes pressure off the batsman and puts pressure back on the bowler. It’s not only you who has to hit the big shots now.
“Now, the bowler can’t play with you anymore, he can’t bowl a certain bowl which doesn’t allow you to hit a boundary and bowl differently to the other guy. It was probably the most mature innings I’ve seen from Rishabh Pant in the last six months,” Jadeja said.
Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant will be unavailable for the third and final Twenty20 International against the West Indies, scheduled to take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.