India's stand-in skipper Rishabh Pant on Sunday (19th June) said that he gave his best as a skipper and as a batter in the series against South Africa and now it's up to people to decide how he did his job.
It was a disappointing end to the five-match T20I series between India and South Africa as rain washed out the fifth game and forced both the teams to share the trophy. Only 3.3 overs were possible at the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the series ended 2-2.
Team India made a staggering comeback in the T20I series against South Africa. After being thumped in the first two games, they bounced back and defeated the visitors to level the series 2-2.
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Rishabh Pant-led side displayed poor performances with both bat and ball in the first two games. However, they came together collectively and stood up with both bat and ball to win the third and fourth games by 48 and 82 runs respectively.
After the first two matches, Pant came under scrutiny for his poor leadership skills but he replied to all the critics in style by leading his side to two back-to-back victories. As a batter, it wasn’t a fruitful series for him as he scored just 58 runs in the four innings he played.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rishabh Pant talked about the positives of the series. He said that the way his side showed character after being 2-0 down was one of the stand-out things for them.
“There are a lot of positives. The way the team showed character from 0-2 down was a huge positive. We are in a nice spot as we are finding different ways to win the game,” Rishabh Pant said.
Pant said that he gave his 100% both as a skipper and as a batter and now it’s for people to decide how he did his job.
“I can only think about giving my 100% as a player and captain. It is for you guys to decide on how I am doing as a player and captain, I can only focus on giving my 100% every time I go on the field and keep improving,” he said.
Pant said that now he’s keen to contribute to the team for the upcoming Test against England.
“We will be keen to win the Test we are going to play in England and from a personal point of view I am keen to contribute more to the team with the bat,” he said.
The Indian team will now be seen in action in the two-match T20I series against Ireland, starting 26th June. While the senior team will play Test against England in starting July.
(Star Sports inputs)
