'If I was there...': Sehwag's cheeky 'he could've finished' message for Pant | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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'If I was there...': Sehwag's cheeky 'he could've finished' reaction to Rishabh Pant's 5 fours in a row against England

By, New Delhi
Jul 18, 2022 04:08 PM IST

There was absolute mayhem when Pant hammered Willey for 21 runs in the 42nd over, leaving India with just three runs to score in the remaining seven.

Rishabh Pant's book of dynamic hitting saw a new chapter getting unfold. The India dasher on Sunday produced a match-winning 125* in the series-deciding game, helping India claim the ODI series over 50-over champions England. His first hundred in a 27-match ODI career comprised 16 fours and two sixes with five of them coming in a single over against David Willey. Also Read | 'Reminded me of Yuvraj, Kaif in Natwest final': Former Pakistan bowler says India youngster will be 'word class player'

Virender Sehwag (L) and Rishabh Pant(Twitter | Reuters)
Virender Sehwag (L) and Rishabh Pant(Twitter | Reuters)

There was complete mayhem when Pant hammered Willey for 21 runs in the 42nd over, leaving India with just three runs to score in the remaining seven. He hit the first ball over mid-off, brought out two audacious pull strokes and drilled one through covers to get four consecutive boundaries. The left-handed batter then smacked one straight down the ground to gather 20 runs in just five balls. But he opted for a single on the final ball and won the game with a reverse-swept four off Joe Root in the next over.

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Pant, who epitomized the way Virender Sehwag used to bat in his heydays, left his fans a bit puzzled over his move to take a single after hitting five straight fours. During the post-match discussion on Sony Sports, Sehwag was asked about Pant not finishing the game with a sixth consecutive boundary.

"If he had hit a four in that over, the match would have gotten over and an extra run would not have been scored. If Rishabh Pant wanted, he could have finished it not only with a four but a six. If I was there, I would have definitely tried to hit a four or a six," said the former India opener.

"The good thing is that he only finished it, he only hit the last four to finish it. It was enjoyable to watch, we all were expecting that Rishabh Pant will play such innings in ODI cricket, he has played only 27 matches and an amazing knock like this has come in that now," he added.

Sehwag lauded Pant for staying unbeaten and bailing India out from a precarious position of 72-4. Pant received excellent support in a partnership of 133 in 19 overs with all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who made 71 after taking career-best figures of 4-24.

“It has come at the right time when four batters from the top had been dismissed. I didn't expect that he will play till the end because a time was going to come when his back was going to be broken and it would have been broken as well when he stepped out to Moeen Ali.”

"After that Hardik Pandya probably controlled him as there was a period when he was between 18 to 30 runs, he could have gotten out there, but he didn't get out because Hardik Pandya released the pressure from him. Then he batted intelligently, when a batter scores 30-40 runs, his shot selection becomes better, which Rishabh Pant showed," Sehwag explained.

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