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'Smart move by Kohli to promote him': Inzamam says Rishabh Pant 'was the difference between India and England'
Rishabh Pant has become one of the most feared players for the opposition, and former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq believes he was the difference between India and England in the ODI series.
Rishabh Pant has made a dream comeback in the Indian team this year. After an insipid run in 2019 and 2020, Pant found himself being left out of the team on several occasions, with KL Rahul replacing him as the first-choice keeper in the team in limited-overs cricket. Pant's struggles in IPL 2020 did not help either, and he was left out of India's limited-overs squad for the Australia tour.
But since then, the wicketkeeper-batsman has scripted a new story for himself. His match-saving contribution in the Sydney Test and his match-winning innings in the Adelaide Test against the mighty Aussies started a new chapter in Pant's career.
The left-hander followed it up with another scintillating performance in the Test series against England this year and then played a crucial role in the ODIs as well, as India won the series 3-2. Pant has become one of the most feared players for the opposition, and former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq believes he was the difference between India and England in the ODI series.
"What a player he is. After a long time, I’ve seen such a player who plays much better than you think of a player how he should be. I’ve been following him since the India tour of Australia. He doesn’t seem like playing under pressure," Inzamam said in a video uploaded on his Youtube channel.
"Even in Australia, when all the seniors were out with injuries, his effortless batting at the middle-order made it look as if India haven’t lost any wicket or they aren’t playing on Australian soil.
"Earlier, players used to struggle while playing Down Under but Pant is not bothered at all. Earlier in the 70’s era, Vivian Richards used to be the difference between West Indies and any other side. Similarly, Pant was the difference between India and England," Inzamam added.
Inzamam further said that Pant's innings of 78 runs in the 3rd ODI was tremendous as it came on a wicket where batsmen were struggling against spinners.
"It wasn’t an easy wicket to score against spinners as we all saw Virat Kohli getting bowled by Moeen Ali. But Pant once again played a fine knock and scored 74 runs (78*) in 62 balls, at a strike rate of more than 100. No other batter has a strike rate of more than 100," Inzamam said.
"It was a smart move by Virat that he promoted Pant up the order. India lost three senior players – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, and the pressure was mounted on India. But Pant played an important role in releasing the pressure," he signed off.
