Virat Kohli Hints At Giving Rishabh Pant A Chance In Third ODI Against Windies

What is the story:

With India skipper Virat Kohli hinting of experimenting with the playing eleven in the third One-Day International against Windies, Rishabh Pant might get a chance to make his much-awaited debut in 50-overs cricket.

Team India got back to winning ways with an impressive 105-run win against Windies in the second ODI. After the first game was washed out, the Men in Blue put in yet another dominating batting display to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Riding on Ajinkya Rahane’s century and half-centuries from Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan, India posted 310 for 5 in 43 overs before restricting the home side to 205 for 6.

Speaking after the match, Kohli said: “We’ll sit down and decide as a team about changes that can be made. We’ll go to Antigua and regroup, and that’s a possibility as well, give a few guys an opportunity.”

Virat Kohli Hints At Giving Rishabh Pant A Chance In Third ODI Against Windies

“It was a complete performance again. The partnership between Ajinkya and Shikhar was outstanding, and myself at the back end, with Yuvi, MS and Kedar chipping in,” added Kohli.

Heart of the matter:

Before the start of the series, Kohli had said Rahane would open in all the five matches which put doubts over whether Pant would get a chance to make his debut. But with the top-order batsmen looking in good form, the team-management seems to have made up its mind on experimenting with the playing eleven. And if they really go ahead, then there is a big possibility that Pant will be handed his ODI cap.

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Pant is one of the most-exciting talents in the country right now, The 19-year old hard-hitting batsman, who had caught the attention after scoring 267 runs in 6 innings in last year’s U-19 World Cup, had become the talk of the town after blasting a belligerent 308 off 326 balls against Maharashtra in Ranji Trophy last year. He finished Ranji Trophy with a staggering 972 runs in only 8 outings including four centuries and a couple of the fifties. He was rewarded for the brilliant show in domestic circuit in the form of a maiden call for India’s T20I team during the home series against England.

However, he failed to make the cut for the Champions Trophy. But with the team now willing to experiment, the Delhi batsman might play his first ODI in coming days.

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