'Virat and I were talking run rate, I hit 2 one-handed sixes': Pant warns Pak
It's unlikely that Rishabh Pant will find a place in India's XI for their T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan in Melbourne on Sunday but the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter had an important role to play when these two sides met at a World Cup match the last time around in Dubai. India had lost openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in the first three overs of the powerplay to Shaheen Shah Afridi. Suryakumar Yadav, playing in his first major tournament, showed promise but was dismissed soon after. India were in desperate need of a partnership and that is when Pant joined then-captain Virat Kohli in the middle.
The Pant and Kohli partnership slowly started to bring India back in the game but the run rate remained a concern. At the end of 11 overs, India were 66 for three. Pakistan captain Babar Azam threw the ball to pacer Hasan Ali. Pant decided it was time to tee off. He hit Hasan Ali for back-to-back one-handed sixes. The first one was over square-leg while the second was straight over long off.
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Ahead of Sunday's Super 12 T20 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan, Pant recalled his exploits in the last edition of the tournament in 2021.
"I fondly remember that I smacked Hasan Ali for two sixes in the same over. "We were just trying to get the run rate up because we lost early wickets and we staged a partnership – me and Virat. We were increasing the run rate and I smacked him for two sixes with one hand... my special shot," Pant told ICC.
Pant (39) and Kohli's 53-run stand for the fourth wicket was not enough to take India to a big total. They somehow scrapped their way to 151 for 7 mainly due to Virat Kohli's 57. Pakistan chased the total down quite easily thanks to a record 152-run stand between Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
A lot has changed since then. India appointed Rohit Sharma as the captain and Pant slowly found his way out of the XI because of Dinesh Karthik's finishing skills. Highlighting the importance of an India-Pakistan contest, Pant said there is a lot at stake because fans from both sides are involved emotionally.
"It’s always special playing against Pakistan because there is a special hype around that match as always," Pant said. "There are so much emotions involved, not only for us, but the fans and everyone. It’s a different kind of feeling, a different kind of ambience when you go onto the field and when you take on the field, you see people cheering here and there. It’s a different atmosphere and when we were singing our national anthem, I actually got goosebumps," he added.
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