'Looks like the 45-minute conversation made sense' - Yuvraj Singh after Rishabh Pant's match-winning ton in series decider

Rishabh Pant was the star of the third ODI in Manchester, where India defeated England by five wickets to win the match and the series 2-1. Though his unbeaten century knock is the talk of the town currently, former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s tweet for the wicketkeeper-batter, mentioning a conversation between the duo prior to the match, has gone viral.

India won the third ODI of the bilateral series against England thanks to Pant, who smashed his maiden ODI century off 109 balls and led his team to victory in a chase of 260. He remained unbeaten at 125*(113) and scored the winning runs for India as the Men in Blue lifted the silverware in style. Yuvraj’s tweet revealed that he had a 45-minute talk with Rishabh Pant, and he also mentioned that his pep talk led to the outcome.

“Looks like the 45-minute conversation made sense!! Well played @RishabhPant17. That’s how you pace your innings. @hardikpandya7, great to watch #indiavseng,” tweeted Yuvraj Singh.

As former India players celebrated 20 years of the team’s magnificent win over England in the Natwest Trophy final back in 2002, the Men in Blue lifted the ODI series championship cup in style just a few days later by replicating some similar heroics. A massive 326-run goal was chased down by India 20 years ago, thanks in large part to the outstanding batting performances of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif.

The Natwest Trophy final and the recently concluded third ODI both had some similarities. India was chasing 326 runs at the Lord’s in 2022 and faced a setback when the top order was dismissed, and the team was lowered to 146/5 at a point in time. That is when Yuvraj Singh and Kaif stepped up and put up a 121-runs partnership for the sixth wicket as India lifted the coveted cup.

In the third ODI against England on Sunday, even though the target wasn’t as large, India found themselves in trouble at 72/4 when Pant and Hardik Pandya teamed up. With Pandya adding a quick 71 off 55 balls, after picking up four wickets in the first innings, the dynamic pair contributed 133 runs for the fifth wicket to put the Indian innings in momentum as they chased 260.