'Pant should be worried. Someone is coming for his spot': Steyn says India youngster should '100 percent' play ODIs
While Rishabh Pant is busy in his preparations for the T20 World Cup – which starts in approximately five days' time – along with the rest of his teammates in Australia, the fringe players back home are putting in a string of impressive performances.
While Rishabh Pant is busy in his preparations for the T20 World Cup – which starts in approximately five days' time – along with the rest of his teammates in Australia, the fringe players back home are putting in a string of impressive performances. India wrapped up a comprehensive 2-1 series win on Tuesday by smashing South Africa by seven-wickets in the series decider in New Delhi, which saw a bunch of youngsters step up to the occasion and deliver a solid show. Shreyas Iyer's match-winning century in Ranchi, followed by Mohamed Siraj's Player of the Series worthy performance certainly puts the team in a good stead. Besides, Sanju Samson hit an unbeaten 86 although it came in a losing cause.
However, one player who really made his opportunity count was Ishan Kishan. The 23-year-old opener who had fallen behind the pecking order lately roared back to contention with an astonishing innings of 93 in the second ODI, and even though he fell cheaply in the other two matches of the series, Ishan's half-century was a highly crucial knock.
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With India down at 48/2 in a stiff chase of 279, Ishan and Iyer forged a partnership of 161 runs for the third wicket, which eventually proved to be a match-winning one as India cantered home by seven wickets and 25 balls to spare. Steyn mentioned that it is about time Ishan gets a long rope in India's ODI squad while narrating an interesting story of the youngster's initial IPL days.
"A 100 percent. I actually played with him a bit way back in the IPL. He seemed like a baby. We nicknamed him Justin Bieber because he was like this absolute rockstar. I've watched him go and get better. For a short and small man, he packs an incredible punch. These sixes odd Nortje aren't small. They're pure timing and muscle. And just the ability to recognise when to take on the bowler... he is a great player and guys in that Indian team... Rishabh Pant should be worried that someone is coming for his spot," Steyn said on Star Sports.
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The win extended Shikhar Dhawan's run as India captain. After registering wins in West Indies and Zimbabwe, Dhawan led a young and promising Indian team to one of their most famous series wins at home against a South African unit comprising a plethora of big names. The win becomes sweeter given how India completed a come-from-behind series victory having lost the opener in Lucknow.
"I am proud of the boys, the way they played in the series. The way they carried the responsibility and showed maturity. Would like to thank the support staff. We showed a lot of character in the first game, we dropped a few catches, but we never really put pressure on ourselves. We tried to stick to the process. I am enjoying the journey; I'll try to keep performing well for my team. The boys showed great character on such tough batting pitches. The bowlers were clinical today," added Dhawan.
