Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant looked in terrific touch in his maiden innings for India after recovering from a horrific car accident as he slammed a blazing half-century against Bangladesh in a T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up fixture on Saturday (June 1).
In the absence of Virat Kohli, Pant walked out to bat at No. 3 and went on to smash 53 off 32 balls. His knock, studded with 4 sixes and as many boundaries, set the tone for India’s 182/5 in 20 overs.
During his innings, Rishabh Pant was particularly severe on Shakib Al Hasan as he hit the Bangladesh all-rounder for three sixes in the same over. However, the southpaw stole the show with his one-handed six off off-spinner Mahmudullah.
It was the 9th over when Pant showcased his classic one-handed maximum, depositing Mahmudullah’s fuller delivery into the long-on stand.
Rishabh Pant notched up his half-century off 32 balls before retiring out. The likes of Suryakumar Yadav (31 off 18) and Hardik Pandya (40* off 23) also made handy contributions with the bat to propel India to a competitive total.
In reply, Bangladesh managed to post 122/9 in 20 overs. It was a listless batting display as most of them fell for a single-digit score. Mahmudullah waged a lone battle with the bat as he scored 40 off 28 balls before retiring out.
Arshdeep Singh (2/12 in 3 overs), Shivam Dube (2/13 in 3 overs), Jasprit Bumrah (1/12 in 2 overs), Mohammed Siraj (1/17 in 3 overs), Hardik Pandya (1/30 in 3 overs) and Akshar Patel (1/10 in 2 overs) were among the wickets for India.
