VVS Laxman says Rishabh Pant's 'range of shots' makes him a difficult batsman to bowl to

Former Team India Test specialist VVS Laxman revealed why it is difficult to bowl to a batsman of Rishabh Pant's calibre. Coming out to bat at number five during the second ODI at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, Pant showcased a power-packed batting performance as he scored a 40-ball 77 at a strike rate of almost 193 that included three boundaries and seven maximums. His quickfire knock in the middle-order helped India post a mammoth total of 336/6 from their 50 overs.

'It’s very difficult for any bowler': Rishabh Pant

“Very impressive from Rishabh Pant and right from the word go. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli laid the foundation, but the momentum had to be shifted, and that was done by Rishabh Pant. What I was most impressed with was his range of shots", said VVS Laxman while speaking on Star Sports.

"In the past, we have seen him favouring the on-side, but in this innings, and in the other two formats as well, he showed he has got a good range now. It’s very difficult for any bowler to bowl to Rishabh Pant,” the ex-middle-order batsman added.

England batsmen make easy work of the stiff run chase

While India's top and middle-order batsmen did play stellar knocks and helped the hosts post a challenging total on the board, the bowlers failed to deliver as they could not contain the flow of runs as all of the five bowlers who had bowled ended up conceding more than 50 runs as England made easy work of this run chase. 

Openers Jason Roy, and, Jonny Bairstow added 110 runs for the opening stand after which Bairstow and Ben Stokes added 175 runs for the second-wicket stand as the duo made the Indian bowlers toil hard for wickets. By the time England lost the wickets of Stokes, Bairstow, and, stand-in-captain Jos Buttler, the top-ranked ODI side well already in a commanding position as the middle-order duo of Dawid Malan (16*), and, Liam Livingstone (27*) took the visitors home by six wickets and 39 balls to spare.

The three-match series is tied at 1-1 and the decider will be played on Sunday at the very same venue. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the Men In Blue will be making any changes in their side or will they stick to the same Playing XI. 

Image credits:  PTI/Twitter-BCCI