IND vs ENG | Canāt imagine an Indian side across formats without Rishabh Pant, opines Ian Bell
Pant made his comeback into the limited-overs setup against England
|BCCI
Ian Bell, post Indiaās 2-1 series win over England, has opined that he canāt imagine an Indian side across formats without featuring Rishabh Pant and hailed him as a rare-match-winning talent. He also added that in the last two months, Pantās stature grown massively and become more mature.
After Indiaās historic repeat win over Australia, Rishabh Pant had not just sealed himself a place in the Indian side but also stamped his authority on the proceedings, making him one of the first names in the playing XI. However, that was largely limited to the longest format, where he made a genuine inroad with his runs. In the shorter formats, Pant wasnāt picked in the Australia series, only making his return against England.Ā
Across seven games against England, in the shorter formats, the left-hander struck an immediate chord scoring valuable runs for the country, including scoring a match-winning knock in the final ODI after India were in a spot of bother. The left-hander scored 78 off 62 deliveries, with five boundaries and four sixes, taking India to a total of 329 after being restricted to 121/3.Ā
Former English batsman Ian Bell has opined that he canāt imagine an Indian side across formats without the 24-year-old. He didnāt stop there, hailing the left-hander as a ārareā talent before calling him a real match-winner for the Men in Blue.Ā
"I can't imagine now an Indian side without him in it. It just feels like it. He's the future around some world class players. But yea, we've seen a mature series and that's quite rate at the moment for seeing someone playing like that. I think it's a rare talent and this is just the start of him now having a successful career. Incredible to watch, a real match-winner," Ian Bell told ESPNCricinfo, reported Hindustan Times.Ā
Over the last two months, since the start of the four-match Test series against England, the left-hander has grown in stature, with his calm and composed batting in the longest format. Not just that, he brought out his mature side of the game into the shorter formats, which made him one of the most valuable players in the playing XI.Ā
"He's had a fantastic series, hasn't he? Across all three formats. I saw a real calmness about him today. It's not only high-risk, slogging or anything like that. Also, he gets off strike and rotates it. So I imagine that those bowlers at the end of their mark are thinking that if they get it slightly wrong, Pant does hurt them. We've seen a maturity as this series has gone on. That Test match hundred again would have given him a lot of confidence," Bell concluded.
