India were at their best in the final ODI against England in the recently-concluded tour, sealing both the T20I and ODI series. The Rohit Sharma-led side beat England 2-1 in the T20I series and then held their nerve to win the decider of the ODIs by the same margin as they continued their preparations for the World Cup.
In the final match of the series, India looked like they were in trouble while chasing down 260 runs and losing their renowned top-3 of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli for a combined score of 35. But young wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant (125*) displayed his abilities as he forged a 133-run stand alongside Hardik Pandya (71) to bail India out of trouble. Pant eventually hit the winning runs as India chased the target in 42.1 overs.
Following his maiden century knock in ODIs, Pant drew a lot of praise from fans and former cricketers alike, and joining in the plaudits was Pakistan's pace legend Shoaib Akhtar, “He has the cut shot, pull shot, reverse sweep... He isn't afraid. He won the match in Australia, he won the match here (in England) and took India to a series victory,” Akhtar said on his official YouTube channel.
The pacer, who was fondly known as the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ during his time with the Pakistan cricket team, also advised Pant to shed some weight. “He is a little overweight. I hope he takes care of that. Because India's market is big, he's good-looking. He can emerge as a model and earn crores. Because whenever a person becomes a star in India, a lot of investment is made on them,” said Akhtar.
“The talent he has, he will put oppositions in a lot of trouble. Against England, he adopted a calculated approach while pacing the innings, and then turn ruthless. He can accelerate whenever he wants. In times to come, Rishabh Pant is going to be a superstar. The only one can who can stop him is Pant himself," the star batter added.
Pant will be next seen in action in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies, which begins on July 29. After featuring in the Test, T20I and ODI series, the batter has been given a rest.