Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar was one of the many legends who congratulated the Indian team for their wonderful 2-1 ODI series win against England. After winning the T20Is, India inflicted a double whammy on England by taking the ODIs too with victories in the first and third game. After winning the first ODI by 10 wickets, England came back in the second to level the series, but in the decider, India held their nerves and secured a five-wicket win in Old Trafford, Manchester.
Tendulkar shared a message for Team India, asking them to keep it up and reserved special praise for the two Indian stars of the day, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya, both of whom had a crucial play and without whose contributions, the win might not have been possible. Pant scored his maiden ODI ton while Pandya registered his eight half-century and together took the team home.
"Congratulations to #TeamIndia on winning the ODI series. Keep up the good work and continue this form. Special mention to @RishabhPant17 and @hardikpandya7 for a wonderful performance," Tendulkar tweeted.
Pandya and Pant came together with India in trouble at 72/4 in chase of 260. The situation was similar to the last game at Lord's, where India had lost its top order cheaply. But this time around, Pant and Pandya changed the script, and a little over 20 years to India's famous Natwest Trophy win, produced a partnership similar to the one between Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. They stitched 133 runs to get India's score over 200 and although Pandya perished in a bid to finish the match quickly, Pant remained unbeaten on 125 off 113 balls to see his team through to the win.
{{/usCountry}}Pandya and Pant came together with India in trouble at 72/4 in chase of 260. The situation was similar to the last game at Lord's, where India had lost its top order cheaply. But this time around, Pant and Pandya changed the script, and a little over 20 years to India's famous Natwest Trophy win, produced a partnership similar to the one between Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. They stitched 133 runs to get India's score over 200 and although Pandya perished in a bid to finish the match quickly, Pant remained unbeaten on 125 off 113 balls to see his team through to the win.
{{/usCountry}}This was Pant's first century for India in limited-overs cricket, which makes it safe to say that the youngster has arrived in one-day cricket. Pant, who started the tour with a century in Edgbaston, fittingly ended it with a century as well. On the other hand, Pandya continues to impress since his return to the Indian team. Before his knock of 71 off 55 balls including 10 fours, Pandya had also picked up four wickets and created a few records himself. And for picking up six wickets in two games and scoring 100 runs in 2 innings, Pandya was adjudged the Player of the Series.