India vs England, World Cup 2019: Rishabh Pant was drafted into the playing XI in place of all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who had an ankle injury, and made a quickfire 32 off 29.
Rishabh Pant made an impact with the bat in his first World Cup game for India (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Rishabh Pant scored 32 off 29 balls but in a lost cause as India failed to chase down 337
- Pant was brought into the playing XI in place of the injured Vijay Shankar
- India suffered their first loss of the World Cup in seven matches
Former captain Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday was very impressed with what he saw of Rishabh Pant as the young Delhi batsman made his World Cup debut for India against England and scored a quickfire 32 off 29 balls.
Pant had replaced the injured Vijay Shankar in the playing XI for India and made an impact straightaway in his first World Cup game even though it came in a lost cause as the Men in Blue fell 31 runs short of the 337 total posted by England after electing to bat first in Birmingham.
India suffered their first loss of the tournament in seven matches but are still very much in contention of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Pant, who came to bat at the No.4 position, added 52 runs for the third wicket with Rohit Sharma, who top-scored with 102 but the knock went in vain in the end.
"Rishabh went out and made a big statement. But also number of elements that one would have to look at, if there is an injury on the field then who comes and completes those overs (hinting at Vijay Shankar).
"What I saw of Rishabh, he's always been a dynamic player, always been aggressive. I call him a dynamite," Sachin Tendulkar told India Today.
Vice-captain @ImRo45 lightened up the post-match press conference when asked about Rishabh Pant #TeamIndia #ENGvIND #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/NSv3zVqFT3
When asked if India should play Pant instead of Vijay Shankar for the rest of the tournament, Tendulkar said he would leave that decision to the team management.
"It would be unfair to stand here and pass judgements. What eventually the coach and captain feels in the dressing room, there are number of things that come into play. What I saw of Rishabh Pant I liked but I leave the decision to the team management.
"There wasn't any doubt at all about Pant's shot-making. We have seen that on a number of occasions in IPL and also when he played for India. He went at a situation when the asking rate was quite high. A player like Rishabh is only going to get better with time. The more he plays the more he will learn," Tendulkar said.
Pant was also part of a 28-run stand with Hardik Pandya after Rohit Sharma's departure and even till then India were in with a shot at victory. Tendulkar felt the partnership between Pandya and Pant did make the England camp very nervous.
"Hardik and Rishabh are two explosive players and they run well between the wickets. Just when Rohit was batting with Virat there were worried faces in the England camp. Just like that when these two were batting the game I felt was under our control," Tendulkar said.
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