On Friday (February 18), Rishabh Pant rose to the occasion in the second T20I against the West Indies, smashing a half-century (52* off 28 deliveries) to help India reach 186/5 in 20 overs. After Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel bowled brilliantly in the final three overs to hold off a comeback by the Windies, led by Rovman Powell (68*) and Nicholas Pooran (62), the home team won by 8 runs.
Pant and fellow left-hander Venkatesh Iyer put on a 76-run stand in 35 deliveries, with Iyer scoring 33 runs in 18 balls. Despite the fact that Iyer arrived after Virat Kohli was dismissed, India's run-rate remained unaffected, thanks to consistent hitting from both batters during their time at the crease.
Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja pointed out that Rishabh Pant was not solely responsible for power-hitting, which allowed him to play with a clear mind.
“Today was fabulous. More than skill, I admire the temperament that he showed. Guys batting at 4, 5, 6, 7, when they start with a boundary, they have couple of balls to take their time and get into a better mindset. Throughout those 28 balls, he was in a perfect mindset,” Jadeja said on Cricbuzz.
“He was joined with Venkatesh Iyer; the other problem I had with him is that sometimes, he (Pant) thinks he is the only one who has to hold the innings together. Today, they (Pant and Iyer) played as partners - 35 balls 76 (runs), it's (the partnership) just not dependent on Rishabh Pant. He's got 17-ball 36, he's got a partner who scored 18-ball 33 as well."
The partnership also put the pressure back on the bowlers, according to Jadeja, who also stated that this is Rishabh Pant's "most mature innings" in the last six months.
“What that does is that it takes pressure off the batsman and puts pressure back on the bowler. It's not only you who has to hit the big shots now. Now, the bowler can't play with you anymore, he can't bowl a certain bowl which doesn't allow you to hit a boundary and bowl differently to the other guy. It was probably the most mature innings I've seen from Rishabh Pant in the last six months,” Jadeja said.
The final match of the T20I series will be played on Sunday (February 20).
