Rishabh Pant Is Very Difficult To Bowl To: VVS Laxman

Former Indian middle-order batsman VVS Laxman has been amongst the many lauding Rishabh Pant for his pyrotechnics in the second ODI against England on Friday. Rishabh Pant played his first ODI since early 2020 on Friday and delivered an impactful performance. VVS Laxman acknowledged that the 23-year old has now become a fearful prospect for bowlers worldwide.

Rishabh Pant played the second ODI as Shreyas Iyer’s replacement and got the nod ahead of Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shubman Gill. The southpaw justified the selection by delivering some lusty blows towards the end, smashing 77 off only 40 balls, consisting of three fours and seven sixes. He helped India add 113 off 80 deliveries as India reached 337 in 50 overs.

Unfortunately, it was not enough for India as England made a light work of the target, winning by six wickets and 39 balls to spare. Jonny Bairstow hammered a hundred, while Ben Stokes and Jason Roy contributed half-centuries to the cause to level the three-match series.

What I was most impressed with was Rishabh Pant’s range of shots: VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman admired Rishabh Pant’s whirlwind knock and the counterattacking he dished out right after coming to the crease. The 46-year old credited Pant for shifting the momentum towards India after Virat Kohli and KL Rahul laid the foundation. Laxman said that with the left-hander possessing a wide range of shots, he has become challenging to bowl to.

“Very impressive from Rishabh Pant and right from the word go. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli laid the foundation, but the momentum had to be shifted, and that was done by Rishabh Pant. What I was most impressed with was his range of shots. In the past, we have seen him favouring the on-side, but in this innings, and in the other two formats as well, he showed he has got a good range now. It’s very difficult for any bowler to bowl to Rishabh Pant,” Laxman told Star Sports.

Also Read: Wasim Jaffer Posts A Cryptic Tweet To Suggest Changes To Virat Kohli In The Indian Team For The 3rd ODI