Hyderabad: A great metamorphosis has come about Rishabh Pant's cricketing life with some outstanding performances in Australia. He outgrew himself as his ebullient strokes kept flowing off his bat seamlessly. Pant, reverse flicking the mighty James Anderson in the series against England was a classic combination of bravado and ruthlessness in one fell swoop.
Such performances have earned Mohammad Kaif's confidence as he believes Pant will be a determining factor and team's strength in the middle-order at the T-20 World Cup. "Rishabh Pant will play a major role in the T-20 World Cup," he said.
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Means a lot coming from you, Dada. Will do my best! https://t.co/NtSRolTwPE
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) March 5, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">Means a lot coming from you, Dada. Will do my best! https://t.co/NtSRolTwPE
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) March 5, 2021Means a lot coming from you, Dada. Will do my best! https://t.co/NtSRolTwPE
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) March 5, 2021
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Kaif, who will be commentating in the India-Sri Lanka series with the likes of Amit Mishra, Saba Karim among others, on Wednesday said Pant along with Hardik Pandya will be vital in the middle-order of the Indian batting line-up, a snag the team couldn't fix in months leading up to the 2019 World Cup in England. It eventually proved to be one of the major reasons behind losing out on the trophy.
And now that Pant has found his way back to ascendancy after a lengthy lean patch, Kaif expects nothing but a stellar show from him.
"Pant is a fantastic player, he is in great form too. There is an IPL coming up and people would be eager to see how he goes about it," he told ETV Bharat.
Expectations from the 23-year-old have risen an all time high after he blazed India past Australia at the Gabba with a spirited and match-winning 89 on the last day. This was followed by performances against England at home and then the IPL.
Another player picked by Mohammad Kaif was Hardik Pandya whose multi-faceted quality will come in handy for the Indian team in the T20 World Cup and the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. He said that Hardik provides a great balancing act in the team that allows a captain to have multiple options.
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Work continues ☄️🌪 pic.twitter.com/LfRVDujNMB
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) March 2, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">Work continues ☄️🌪 pic.twitter.com/LfRVDujNMB
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) March 2, 2021Work continues ☄️🌪 pic.twitter.com/LfRVDujNMB
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) March 2, 2021
"A fit Hardik Pandya gives 4-5 overs which is a big help for the captain. At number 6,7, you need an all-rounder so as to have a balanced squad. What do you have in mind when you play your best eleven? A captain looks for a bowling option at 6 or 7th position, who can bat as well. It brings balance to the side. I think Hardik Pandya's role as an all-rounder is vital," Kaif said.
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"Hardik always has a major role to play, be it here in Sri Lanka, IPL or T-20 World Cup," the former right-handed batsman added.
Pandya's role as an all-rounder had solved India's major worry especially in overseas conditions where he chipped in as a bowler. However, he hasn't come out good in bowling since 2019 after his back surgery. He didn't bowl in the IPL and his role solely as a batsman has critics question his role in the team.
"I hope he starts bowling, I am not sure why he stopped bowling in the IPL because he bowled in the last ODI against England in March. So if there is an injury hopefully it has been sorted," Kaif said.
When and where to watch: Watch the 1st ODI on 18th July 2021 LIVE on SONY TEN 1 and SONY SIX in English and Sony Ten 4 in Tamil from 3.00 pm IST
-- Ayushmaan Pandey
