Former England batsman Ian Bell has heaped praise on India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant saying that he is a rare talent and is incredible to watch.
Pant was included in the playing eleven for the second and third ODI after missing out on the first one and made full use of the opportunity, scoring brilliant half-centuries in both his innings and also doing a fine job behind the wickets.
Rishabh Pant is having a fabulous year so far, has performed well across all three formats of cricket. Firstly, his knocks of 97 and 89* against Australia in the fourth Test helped India win the Border Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.
He then scored a century against England in the fourth Test promoting the selectors to consider him for the ODI series. After Shreyas Iyer’s unfortunate injury in the first ODI, the team bought Pant back into the line-up for the final two ODIs.
Pant was promoted to number 4 and played two outstanding fearless innings scoring 77 (40) in the second ODI and 78 (62) in the third ODI.
I can’t imagine an Indian side without Rishabh Pant in it,
said Ian Bell.
He also said that Pant was a “rare talent” that showed many maturities against England.
It just feels like he’s the future and (he’s) around world-class players as well.
We’ve seen a mature series, and that’s quite rare at the moment for seeing someone playing like that.
I think it’s a rare talent, and this is just the start of him now having a successful career. Incredible to watch, a real match-winner,
added Bell.
It’s not just his batting but also his wicketkeeping skills that have significantly improved over a while. Pant also seems to have a calming effect on the field and is often seen joking around with his team members and entertaining those batting, those in the commentary box and those watching at home with his witty remarks behind the stumps.
PanT is also most likely to lead the Delhi Capitals in the IPL this year.
