“Brilliant performance”: Ravi Shastri hails Rishabh Pant after IND-PAK clash, calls his comeback ‘inspirational’

New York [US], June 10 (ANI): Following India’s thrilling victory over Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, former cricketer Ravi Shastri hailed the wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant for his performance both with the bat and the glove in the highly anticipated clash.

After the match, Pant received a medal from Shastri in the dressing room for his brilliant glovework in the match where he managed to take three brilliant catches. The southpaw also scored crucial 42 runs off 31 balls which was laced with six boundaries.

Recalling the time when Pant suffered a road accident, the 52-year-old asserted that he had “tears in his eyes” when he heard about the incident.

“All I say for Rishabh. Brilliant performance. I had tears in my eyes when I heard about his accident. When I saw him in hospital, it was worse. And then for him to come back from there and be back in the A-zone playing one of the biggest games, India vs Pakistan, is heartwarming,” said Shastri in a video posted by BCCI.

The commentator further spoke about the left-hander’s batting. He stated that everyone knows what Pant is capable of in the shortest format of the game.

“Batting, everybody knew. What you’re capable of…the X-factor you have. But your wicketkeeping and range of movement that you have quickly got back in after the operation, is a tribute for how much you worked hard. Not just for yourself, it’s an inspiration to millions around the globe. From adversity, from the jaws of death, you can snatch a win as well. So well done, keep up the good work,” Shastri added.

India defeated Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring thriller in New York’s Nassau International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Pakistan won the toss and put India to bat first. But, Indian batters were off to a patchy start on this tough surface as star openers Virat Kohli (4) and Rohit Sharma (13) failed to score big.

Rishabh Pant (42 off 31) took the charge with his aggressive innings and built useful partnerships with Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav. But, the lower middle order crumbled under the pressure and India was restricted to 119 in 19 overs.

Haris Rauf (3/21) and Naseem Shah (3/21) were the top bowlers for Pakistan. Mohammed Amir got two scalps while Shaheen Shah Afridi got one.

In the run-chase, Pakistan took a more measured approach and Mohammed Rizwan (31 in 44 balls, with a four and six) held one end steady.

However, Bumrah (3/14) and Hardik Pandya (2/24) ran through the Pakistani batting and bagged the crucial wickets of skipper Babar Azam (13), Fakhar Zaman (13), Shadab Khan (4), Iftikhar Ahmed (5) as well.

Wickets falling at regular intervals kept building the pressure on Pakistan. With 18 runs needed in the final over, Naseem Shah (10*) tried to win it for Pakistan, but the accurate bowling by Arshdeep Singh (1/31) made sure Pakistan fell short by six runs.

Bumrah secured the ‘Player of the Match’ for his match-winning spell.

After this victory, India sits at the top of Group A with two wins in two games and four points. Pakistan is in fourth place, having lost both their games to the USA and India, and their knockout stage chances look slim.