Rishabh Pant hits superb straight six in India's intra-squad practice match ahead of WTC final - Watch video

In a video shared by BCCI, Rishabh Pant was seen charging down the track to hit a straight six. The video ended with Pant walking back while raising his bat.

Rishabh Pant started his WTC final preparation in an attacking way. On Day 1 of the intra-squad practice match at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, Pant was one of the brightest performers. Captain Virat Kohli, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin and others took part in the first day of the four-day practice game ahead of the June 18 final against New Zealand.

Rishabh Pant hits a six in India's intra-six practice match in Southampton (BCCI/screenshot)

BCCI shared snapshots and videos of the action on the field. In almost a minute-long video shared by the Indian cricket board on Saturday on its official Twitter handle, Pant was seen charging down the track to hit a straight six. The video ended with Pant walking back while raising his bat.

BCCI did not share the scorecard of the match but it did appear that Pant had a good day.

So did most of the top Indian cricketers like Kohli, Pujara, Rahane, Rohit, Shami and Ashwin. Kohli, Pujara, Gill, Rahane were seen playing solid defensive shots against the likes of Shami and Siraj.

The purpose of the match is to get the players match ready as there are no warm-up games ahead of the WTC summit clash against New Zealand.

The WTC final here from September 18-22 will be a culmination of two years of hard work, filled with emotional moments and a lot of learnings, said Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami, on their part, as the Indian bowling unit's senior pros spoke about the biggest match of their lives.

"I expect a well planned and knit New Zealand team to come at us. Having played two Tests definitely come with an advantage so we have to adapt to that," Ashwin told 'bcci.tv', referring to the Black Caps' ongoing series against England where the first Test has been drawn.

For Ishant, the only man with 100 Tests under his belt in this current team, termed it as a great effort, considering the rule changes due to COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's been a practical as well as emotional journey, and this is an ICC tournament which is as big as 50 over WC final," Ishant said, looking back at the start of the WTC journey in the West Indies back in 2019.

"It's about giving 110 per cent as this is last ditch effort of our two years of hardwork. It's important that we give it our all and double our effort for sometime.

"The best feeling for me is that without us seniors, our youngsters achieved in Australia, new boys put their hands up to be counted emerging as new stars. It is also a learning process and it helps you boost your confidence and the benchmark that has been set," Shami said.