Rishabh Pant justified his selection in the team as a specialist batsman by slamming an impressive 58 in the final T20I at Chennai, helping India complete a 3-0 whitewash against the Windies on Sunday.
Pant, who was guilty of throwing his wicket away in the first two games, dug deep and applied himself before teeing off. The Delhi stumper also forged an impressive 1.30-run partnership with Shikhar Dhawan, who went to score a career-best 92 in India’s six-wicket win.
Pant hit three sixes and five fours in his 38-ball stay in the middle but it was his one-handed swap over deep mid-wicket off Kieron Pollard that impressed many. It was not the first time Pant had hit a six using only his top hand – he had done it a few times in the IPL for Daredevils – but the ease with which he did it on Sunday, took even the bowler Pollard by surprise.
In the last ball of the 13th over of India’s chase, Pollard bowled an off-cutter, Pant, batting on 38 picked it early and went for a heave but the slowness of the delivery forced him to take one hand off his bat. The ball, however, still sailed over the deep mid-wicket boundary for a six.