Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
India ended the tour of England with plenty of reasons to cheer. They may have lost the series-deciding fifth Test in Birmingham, but roared back to clinch both T20I and ODI series.
The wins hold the team in good stead ahead of two back-to-back World Cups – the T20 WC this year and the 50-over the next. Hopefully, a lot of questions about Team India’s combinations have been answered as far as the management is concerned. Next up them is the tour of West Indies, followed by a short trip of Zimbabwe, before the top-flight team returns for the all-important Asia Cup.
The series saw plenty of positives for the Indian team. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was back swinging the ball and Jasprit Bumrah showing that no matter how many talented youngsters arrive, his quality is yet to be matched. But the two biggest takeaways were the forms of Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya. Pant hit two centuries during the tour, while Pandya contributed with both bat and ball.
Pant in particular became the toast of the town with a Test and ODI century, the latter being more crucial as it helped India win the ODI series 2-1 in the decider at Manchester. Former England pacer Darren Gough, who had earlier backed Pant to score runs in all formats, explained how going ahead, Pant has simply got to feature in all matches for India, despite stiff competition.
“It was everything that you would expect from Rishabh Pant. Ever since we have seen him burst onto the scene, he is just one of those players who can play 360 degrees, the new breed of cricketers that we are seeing around the world now. He is full of confidence, believes in his own abilities. And you can see why. You have to play Pant, no matter what. He is finding his best position where he can help India win games,” Gough told Cricket.com.
“He is one of the better players. You have to get him in as soon as you can. There is no point in holding him back. You get your best players in and let them bat. And if they bat the time, you get a big score. He has shown the world how good he is in all formats. Not just red-ball, in white-ball as well. This has been a big year for Pant.”
Pant, who was longed criticised for not replicating his Test success in ODIs and T20Is, gave a befitting reply to his detractors. With India struggling at 72/4 in chase of 260, Pant slammed his maiden ODI ton and remained unbeaten on 125 off 113 balls to guide India home with 25 balls to spare. Gough mentioned that he failed to understand the criticism around him in the first place and predicted that Pant will score heaps of runs for India in the time to come.
“I don’t know why he was criticised. You can tell he is a gifted cricketer. This guy, give him wings and he will fly. And he has done. It is a no-brainer that he will score runs. He may go through phases where his form might dip a little bit, but class always comes back. He is quality,” stated the former England quick.
