Team India duo of Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya has become the toast of the town after their match-winning partnership in the series decider against England on Sunday in Manchester. Pant and Pandya received praise from all corners with the one from the Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar standing out.
Gavaskar commended the duo while saying that they have the potential to replicate MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh’s success as the finishing duo for India in white-ball cricket. Former skipper Dhoni and star all-rounder Yuvraj batted alongside each other in 67 games (across T20Is and ODIs) and averaged 51.75. While their 256-run stand against England in a 2017 game stands out, they have had some memorable partnerships, including the 2011 World Cup-winning unbeaten stand in the final of 54 runs.
Speaking on Sports Tak, Gavaskar was asked if Pant and Pandya can do the same what Dhoni-Yuvraj did and he said, “It can definitely happen. The kind of sixes Yuvraj and Dhoni used to hit, the way they steadied the innings, the way they ran between the wicket, Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant can be that pair for India. And just like Dhoni and Yuvraj used to hit sixes, I hope Pandya and Pant can win the hearts of cricket fans.”
Hardik joined Pant in the middle when India were struggling at 72/4 chasing a target of 260 runs. Hardik played a counter-attacking knock while Pant curbed his natural instincts to take the game deep. Pant started attacking after being set as his last 79 runs came off just 43 balls when he was on 46* (70). The duo shared a 133-run stand which led India’s fightback and helped them win the series 2-1.
Gavaskar also pointed out the timing of Hardik’s return to the national side after being fully fit. Gavaskar said that India desperately needed an all-rounder, who could form a combination with someone like Ravindra Jadeja as they can both bowl and ball while saying that it is a hallmark of a champion team.
“Hardik has made his comeback at the right time because India desperately needed an all-rounder. Now they have both Pandya and Jadeja who can bat as well as bowl ten overs. You look at teams who won world championships in 1983, 1985, 2011 and 2013, all had good all-rounders,” he added.
