India’s batting line-up for their T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York created a buzz among fans yesterday (June 5). The new set-up saw Virat Kohli opening the batting with the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. Contrary to what was expected, Rishabh Pant came out to bat in the number three spot instead of Suryakumar Yadav. He then dazzled everyone with his outstanding performance.
The wicket keeper-batter Rishabh Pant remained undefeated on 36 off 26 balls with impressive three fours and two reverse-scoop sixes. Despite the challenging pitch with uneven bounce and even sustaining blows on his arm, the 26-year-old battled exceptionally. Pant made a notable comeback after his life-threatening accident in December 2022. His skillful performance enabled India to easily chase down the modest target of 97 with over seven overs remaining.
Now, India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour has said that Pant will bat at number 3 going forward as well.
“Yes, he has been batting really well. The two games he has played, he has looked really, really good. So yes, at the moment he is our number three, and it helps that he is the left-hander,” he said in a press conference.
He further expressed his satisfaction with having Hardik Pandya back in the squad and that too in top form. The Pant-Pandya duo majorly contributed to India’s victory against Ireland. While Pant impressed with the bat, Pandya stole the show with the ball.
India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign kick-started with a practice/warm-up match against Bangladesh where the ‘Men in Blue’ scored impressive runs, winning the match convincingly. Following this, they beat Ireland by eight wickets. India are now set to take on arch-rival Pakistan on June 8. India have had seven complete matches against Pakistan across all T20 World Cups, The ‘Men in Blue’ won six of these meetings.
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