"I thought he was like Dhoni" - Inzamam on Rishabh Pant's slow knock in first T20I vs New Zealand
Former Pakistani skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq has stated that he felt Rishabh Pant played much like veteran dhoni" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">MS Dhoni and had rated him highly. However, the 51-year old mentioned that the left-hander hasn't lived up to his expectations of late.
His statement came in the wake of India's last-over win against New Zealand in the first T20I in Jaipur. Chasing 165, India were in the driving seat when Suryakumar Yadav (62) was powering India to victory.
However, a mini-collapse and a few economical death overs by Kiwi bowlers at the fag end of the innings took the game till the very end. Needing three runs in as many balls, Rishab Pant charged down the wicket and smashed a four over mid-off to seal India's victory.
Although Pant's 17 runs in 17 balls was a match-winning knock, it was also a scratchy and sluggish one.
Pakistani veteran Inzamam-ul-Haq reviewed the Ind-NZ tie and posted a video on his YouTube channel - 'Inzamam-ul-Haq the Match Winner'. You can watch his video below:
In his video, Inzamam divulged that Pant has been slightly off-colour for India since the T20 World Cup. The legendary former batter, who has been particularly direct with his laurels for Pant, feels the 23-year-old batter has fallen a bit off the radar. Inzamam said on his YouTube channel:
"I had a lot of expectations from Rishabh Pant. The way he has performed in the last two years, I rated him highly. I saw him play in Australia, then against England when they toured India earlier this year. The conditions he played in. I thought that like Dhoni, when the top order fails, he makes up for it at the bottom. I felt that Pant is that sort of player. But during the World Cup, he didn't live up to my expectations."
The former World Cup winner pointed out that in his brief career, Pant has always found his way to thrive under pressure. Consequently, he feels that the left-hander will manage to improve his game further. Inzamam-ul-Haq added:
"He appeared under pressure. Earlier as well, he has been under pressure but he always used to hit his way out of it. So lately, he hasn't lived up to my expectations. He scored 17 off 17 but having said that, he is a treat to watch. He must have realized it and I'm certain he will improve his game,"
India got a whole lot right aside from the finishing touches, which is something that has been an issue with the side in the post-Dhoni era.
"It feels as if India still haven't got over their poor World Cup campaign"- Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam, who has more than 20,000 international runs to his name, believes India still seem under pressure despite their win over the Kiwi unit.
India still hasn't gotten over their dismal T20 World Cup campaign, as per the Pakistani veteran. According to him, the Men in Blue weren't at their best against New Zealand and the latter's poor performance gave India the match. Inzamam said:
"Despite their win, India still seems to be under the pressure. It feels as if they still haven't got over their poor World Cup campaign. I won't say that India played great, rather I feel that New Zealand played badly. They dropped many catches, and gave India the match."
Following their win in Jaipur, India will look to clinch the three-match T20I series when they go head-to-head against New Zealand for the second T20I in Ranchi tomorrow.