IND vs ENG: 'Don't Know Why He Was Criticised, Give Him Wings And He Will Fly': Darren Gough Wants India To Persist With 'Gifted Cricketer'

India had many reasons to celebrate as their tour of England came to a close. Despite losing the fifth and final Test of the series in Birmingham, they came back to win the T20I and ODI series. The victories put the squad in terrific shape going into two consecutive World Cups: the T20 WC this year and the 50-over WC the following year.

As far as the management is concerned, perhaps a lot of worries regarding Team India’s combinations have been addressed. They have a tour of the West Indies and a quick trip to Zimbabwe coming up before the premier team returns for the crucial Asia Cup.

Multiple Indian Performers In White-ball Games Against England

The Indian squad had a lot of success in the series. Jasprit Bumrah showed that no matter how many bright newcomers arrive, his quality has not yet been equalled while Bhuvneshwar Kumar was back hitting the ball.

However, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya’s styles were the two most important things to remember. During the trip, Pant scored two hundreds, while Pandya contributed with both the bat and the ball.

With a century in both Tests and ODIs—the latter being more significant because it enabled India to win the ODI series 2-1 in the championship match at Manchester—Pant, in particular, became the talk of the town.

Darren Gough Lauds Rishabh Pant

Darren Gough, a former England bowler who had previously supported Pant to produce runs in all forms, emphasised how going forward, Pant just has to play in all of India’s matches despite heavy opposition.

“It was everything that you would expect from Rishabh Pant. Ever since we have seen him burst onto the scene, he is just one of those players who can play 360 degrees, the new breed of cricketers that we are seeing around the world now.

“He is full of confidence, believes in his own abilities. And you can see why. You have to play Pant, no matter what. He is finding his best position where he can help India win games,” Gough told Cricket.com.

“He is one of the better players. You have to get him in as soon as you can. There is no point in holding him back. You get your best players in and let them bat.

And if they bat the time, you get a big score. He has shown the world how good he is in all formats. Not just red-ball, in white-ball as well. This has been a big year for Pant.”

Pant responded well to his critics, who had long criticised him for failing to duplicate his performance in Test matches in ODIs and T20Is. Pant blasted his first ODI century and stayed unbeaten on 125 off 113 balls as India struggled at 72/4 in pursuit of 260, leading India to victory with 25 balls remaining.

Rishabh Pant Is A Gifted Cricketer: Darren Gough

Pant will score a tonne of runs for India in the future, according to Gough, who noted that he had trouble understanding the initial criticism levelled at him.

“I don’t know why he was criticised. You can tell he is a gifted cricketer. This guy, give him wings and he will fly. And he has done. It is a no-brainer that he will score runs. He may go through phases where his form might dip a little bit, but class always comes back. He is quality,” stated the former England cricketer.

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