"He isn't worried about the pitches"- Ravi Shastri picks India's X-Factor in T20 World Cup 2024
Updated - 13 Jun 2024, 11:53 AM
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Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant has earned massive praise from former India batter Ravi Shastri for his performances in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Rishabh Pant, as we all know, staged his competitive return to the Indian team after a gap of more than 12 months. The wicket-keeper batsman had endured a fatal car accident which could have even taken his life. However, Pant was lucky enough to not have his life taken away but he did sustain some severe damage to his body.
It took him more than a year to recover and get fit but as soon as his return to the cricketing circuit, Rishabh Pant once again started to do what he is known for. He made his official comeback through the 2024 season of Indian Premier League where he was back to captain the Delhi Capitals for the first time since 2022.
In IPL 2024, Rishabh Pant scored 446 runs from 13 matches at an exceptional strike rate of 155.40 with an average of nearly 41. These stats are good enough for a player who suffered a career-threatening accident and was on the verge of never coming back. His performances forced the Indian selection committee to include him in the 15-man Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Rishabh Pant's official return to the Indian team took place during the warm-up game against Bangladesh on June 1st in New York. In that match, he scored 53 runs and somehow pushed his case to make the cut in the Indian playing XI ahead of Sanju Samson. And since the first match of the tournament, Pant has been very crucial.
He has been trusted to bat at number 3 with Virat Kohli moving up to open with skipper Rohit Sharma. From the 3 group matches against Ireland, Pakistan, and the USA, Rishabh Pant has scored 36*, 42, and 18 runs. His 42-run knock against Babar Azam's team last Sunday was extremely crucial and it certainly made him an untouchable prospect in the team.
What did Ravi Shastri say about Pant?
While speaking to Star Sports yesterday, Ravi Shastri and Steve Smith heaped a lot of praise on Rishabh Pant for his performances in this T20 World Cup. As we all know, the conditions have been very tough in the Nassau County Stadium in New York and despite that, Pant has managed to find a way of his own, thanks to his aggressive style.
Ravi Shastri claimed that Pant is naturally aggressive and that he is very instinctive in terms of playing his shots. Shastri coached Pant when the former was India's head coach and thus he knows exactly what kind of a player Pant is.
"Rishabh Pant is a naturally aggressive player, you know. He's instinctive. He'll react to what comes out of the bowler's hand. He's not too worried about what the pitch will do. He doesn't get that into his mind. He is very clear with his shot selection. Once he knows how the surface is behaving, he'll back his strength." - Ravi Shastri said via Star Sports.
