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'What sort of shot is this?': Rishabh Pant’s bizarre one-handed boundary in IND vs WI triggers memefest on social media
Rishabh Pant top-scored for India, who gained an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the series ahead of the final match at the same venue.
Rishabh Pant on Saturday led India's attacking T20 approach with 44 off 31 balls as the side moved closer to World T20 with a series-clinching 59-run victory over the West Indies in Florida. Pant scored 44 from 31 deliveries and captain Rohit Sharma made 33 off 16 balls to guide the visitors to 191/5 in the first innings. In response, West Indies folded for 132, with Arshdeep Singh returning 3-12 and Avesh Khan, Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi picking up two wickets each. Watch: Rohit Sharma wins hearts with adorable gesture towards fans; Indian celebrates T20 series win in unique way
Pant, the top-scorer for India, did not have a dull moment while batting, much like his chirpy presence behind the sticks. There is a method to his madness and the India dasher seems to have cracked the code. After producing one-handed sixes and falling sweep-pulls, he dished out a new shot – an outrageous slap shot against a wide length delivery. He hit Obed McCoy over extra-cover in his maverick batting approach against the home side.
The hit also sparked a meme fest on social media, with many talking about the bizarreness of Pant's boundary. "What sort of shot is this?" wrote a fan.
While Pant hit a brisk 44, skipper Rohit Sharma (33 off 16 balls), and a cameo from Axar Patel (20 not out off 8 balls) helped India get to an imposing total in 20 overs. In reply, the home team could manage 132 all-out in 19.1 overs.
Arshdeep led the bowling effort for India to take three for 12 and finish off the match with the wicket of Obed McCoy. Avesh also found his mojo with two wickets in his four overs.
"We knew it was not going to be easy because of the conditions," said Rohit Sharma after the match. "I thought we had a good score on the board but just could not take things for granted. Our bowlers did extremely well to keep making crucial breakthroughs."
Captain Nicholas Pooran and middle-order batsman Rovman Powell top-scored for the hosts with 24 runs each, while five West Indies players were dismissed with single-digit scores.
Pooran talked about the margin of defeat, which shows how much work the two-time T20 champions have to put in before this year's showpiece event in Australia.
"The series may be over as a contest but the final match gives other players a chance to put their hands up ahead of the World T20," said Pooran.
"They had gotten off to a flying start batting first but I was really happy at least with the way the bowlers stuck to the task."
