Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is in awe of young Rishabh Pant batting fearlessly against England and being the difference between the two sides in the recently-concluded series.
He feels that Pant never looks under pressure while batting. He is someone who is more talented than what he seems to be and that has impressed the 51-year-old, who is following the southpaw from India's tour to Australia that began in November 2020.
Inzamam said on his YouTube channel, "What a player he is. After a long time, I’ve seen such a player who plays much better than you think of a player how he should be. I’ve been following him since the India tour of Australia. He doesn’t seem like playing under pressure."
"Even in Australia, when all the seniors were out with injuries, his effortless batting at the middle-order made it look as if India haven’t lost any wicket or they aren’t playing on Australian soil," he added.
He even went further to compare Pant with Sir Vivian Richards, as the one who used to be the difference between West Indies and any other team in the 1970s.
"Earlier, players used to struggle while playing Down Under but Pant is not bothered at all. Earlier in the 70’s era, Vivian Richards used to be the difference between West Indies and any other side. Similarly, Pant was the difference between India and England," Inzamam said.
The former cricketer appreciated Indian captain Virat Kohli for promoting Pant up the order. He stated that the wicket for the 3rd ODI wasn't easy to bat against the spinners but the southpaw had no problems.
"It wasn’t an easy wicket to score against spinners as we all saw Virat Kohli getting bowled by Moeen Ali. But Pant once again played a fine knock and scored 74 runs (78*) in 62 balls, at a strike rate of more than 100. No other batter has a strike rate of more than 100."
"It was a smart move by Virat that he promoted Pant up the order. India lost three senior players – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, and the pressure was mounted on India. But Pant played an important role in releasing the pressure," Inzamam concluded.
