Surprised to see Rishabh Pant getting criticised in India: Michael Vaughan

Rishabh Pant is perhaps the most sensational cricketer India has discovered in the last several months in international cricket even though there have been a number of talents who made their debut in this time. The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has been particularly devastating in the longer format as he has already picked up two big hundreds overseas, including a 159 not out in Sydney a couple of months ago.

The left-hander, however, has not been as dominating in the limited-over formats and his ordinary outings in the last few ODIs against Australia – both with the gloves and bat – saw the fans seeking his ouster. Amid the bizarre roller-coaster ride that practitioners of cricket often experience, Pant started his campaign in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 with a bang.

On Sunday, coming in to bat at No.5 for Delhi Capitals (DC), Pant belted an unbeaten 78 in just 27 balls (strike-rate of 288 plus) to help his side add 100 runs in the last eight overs against Mumbai Indians (MI) and it proved to be decisive at the end. The MI were all out for 176, losing the game by 37 runs to begin the new season on a disappointing note.

The innings of Pant, who was picked as the Man of the Match, impressed quite a few. Former England captain Michael Vaughan took to Twitter to express his surprise over the fact that the 21-year-old dashing wicket-keeper-batsman continues to be criticised despite his performance. He urged all to let the youngster play his natural game.

Here is Vaughan’s tweet

50 off 17 balls for @RishabPant777 … #IPL2019 … No idea why he keeps getting criticised In India … Just let him play the way he plays …

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 24, 2019

Pant broke MSD’s record of fastest half-century against MI

Pant, who also effected a couple of dismissals during keeping, did not spare even bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah during his knock and even broke MS Dhoni’s record of the fastest half-century against the MI in the IPL. Pant took 17 balls to score his fifty, which is three balls better than Dhoni’s knock played in 2012. This knock certainly will push Pant’s chances of making the India squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup. One has to see now whether he can consistently score in this tournament.

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