5 Indian players who are remembered for a particular iconic knock ft. Rishabh Pant
Stating that Rishabh Pant is a bona fide match-winner with the bat amounts to stating the bleeding obvious. The Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper has made an instant impression across formats for India and has established himself as a superstar in the making.
If anything, Pant has joined a long list of Indians who have covered themselves in glory over the years. Such is the enigma of the sport in the country that a big performance on a big occasion tends to write itself into eternal folklore. Pant has been no different to the same, despite being just 24 years old.
On that note, let's take a look at five Indians who are remembered for an iconic innings at the international level.
#5 Mohammad Kaif - 87* against England, 2002
India were chasing a mammoth 326 in the final of the NatWest Series 2002 at Lord's. A blistering 106-run opening stand between Virender Sehwag and skipper Sourav Ganguly put them on track to pull off the unthinkable.
A collapse followed soon after, though, and at 146/5, with the fall of Sachin Tendulkar, the writing seemed to be on the wall. At least, that's how Mohammad Kaif's parents felt back home, as they turned off the television to head to the cinemas.
Little did they know what they were about to miss though. Kaif, in the company of Yuvraj Singh, scripted one of India's most famous heists as his unbeaten 87 saw the visitors pull off a Houdini act. Such was the raw emotion associated with this that the image of Ganguly waving his shirt on the Lord's balcony remains fixed in the minds of billions even today.
#4 Gautam Gambhir - 97 in the 2011 ODI World Cup final
When Gautam Gambhir put in a dive to avoid being run out on the night of April 2, 2011, an iconic jersey filled with dirt came into being. In fact, years after his heroic innings of 97 in the final of the 2011 ODI World Cup against Sri Lanka, he claimed to have framed the jersey without washing it.
Walking out to the cauldron of the Wankhede Stadium with the score reading 0/1, Gambhir also had to bear witness to a stunned crowd when Tendulkar was dismissed. In the company of Virat Kohli first and then MS Dhoni, the southpaw displayed grit of the highest order to vault India into a position of strength. The knock has etched itself into history as an iconic one with a cult status.
#3 MS Dhoni - 91* in the 2011 ODI World Cup final
🖌 @msdhoni with the most stylish of finishes.
#CWC11Rewind https://t.co/K0JtHc8U29
Dhoni completed what Gambhir started. The keeper-batter promoted himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh in a bid to tackle the troika of Sri Lankan off-spinners and the move worked like a charm.
Having nudged and nurdled the ball initially, Dhoni put the odd scoring delivery away to the fence while rotating the strike on a regular basis. The night culminated with one of the most iconic shots the sport has seen, with the skipper cannoning a Nuwan Kulasekara delivery over long on to seal the World Cup for India after a 28-year wait.
#2 Sachin Tendulkar - 143 against Australia in Sharjah, 1998
The 'Desert Storm'. An innings that was truly ahead of its time and scripted Sachin Tendulkar into eternal cricketing folklore.
Chasing 285 against Australia in Sharjah, a sandstorm reduced India's target to 276 off 46 overs. Their superstar pulverized every bowler in sight and blasted his way to 143 off 131 deliveries, a knock that was embellished with belligerent strokes of the highest order.
While India fell short of the target, Tendulkar's innings ensured that their net run-rate was better than that of New Zealand to make the final of the Coca-Cola Cup. A masterful 131 at the same venue saw India better Australia in the summit clash to take the honors.
#1 Rishabh Pant 89* against Australia in Brisbane, 2021
An innings and a Test that saw the world wake up to the genius of Pant. The Delhi dasher was often criticized for not putting a price on his wicket but after a watchful start, he unleashed a storm to tear into the Australian bowlers in their fortress, The Gabba in Brisbane.
A moment to savour for India! #AUSvIND https://t.co/vSogSJdqIw
Chasing 328 for a famous victory, India were still 145 runs adrift of the target at Tea on the final day. But then came a counter-attack for the ages - with the bowlers unable to breach his defense, Pant blew the living daylight out of the hosts who had no idea what hit them.
Fittingly, it was Pant who hit the winning runs, driving a Josh Hazlewood delivery down the ground. From not being picked for the first Test of the tour, Pant scripted a fairytale comeback for himself as well as the visitors who clinched the five-match series by a 2-1 margin.
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