Former India opener turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra said that Rishabh Pant’s stunning knock in the second ODI against South Africa could be the turning point of his ODI career. He scored 85 runs off just 71 deliveries after India had lost the wickets of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli in quick succession. His knock helped the team post a 288-run target for South Africa, which they reached easily.
While reviewing the Indian batting performance, in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “Pant played a very good knock. I think this should be the turning point for Rishabh Pant as an ODI player because ODI is the one format which he had probably not studied properly, had not understood its DNA. KL Rahul was there with him; KL Rahul was the subdued partner; Rishabh Pant was the explosive partner.”
Aakash Chopra continued: “But just when Rahul got out, Rishabh got out immediately after that. It was slightly a loose shot because a lot of overs were left. He could have not only scored a century but 125 or so, and could have taken the team to 300-325.”
ALSO READ: Fans react as the first Test between INDvNZ ended in a draw
While talking about the rest of the Indian batting performance, Aakash Chopra stated that the batters once again found it difficult to face spin. He also applauded Shardul Thakur for taking Team India to a fighting score towards the end of their innings.
He explained: “Shikhar Dhawan did do his job, played some aggressive shots, but he stopped again as soon as spin was introduced. Markram dismisses Shikhar; Keshav Maharaj dismisses Virat Kohli for zero, the first time he got out for a duck after 2019 – a loose shot, a soft dismissal.”
“Shreyas Iyer will get stuck slightly now because he got out in two consecutive innings. Venkatesh Iyer tried, but he also got out the way Rishabh Pant was dismissed in the last match. Shardul Thakur provided you a little respectability, stitched together a good partnership with Ashwin,” he again shared.
On the other hand, South Africa openers successfully added over 100-run stands on the opening wicket and Aakash Chopra has picked Quinton de Kock as his Player of the Match in the second ODI as well. He smashed 78 runs off just 66 deliveries.
He said: “You (India) score runs, but the opposing team totally destroys you. Quinton de Kock; what a knock, You destroyed us. He went after Bhuvneshwar Kumar; he didn’t allow him to bowl at all, fours and sixes galore. Bumrah bowled alright, but he (De Kock) hit fours off his bowling also. The way he started batting, he showed the pitch is not slow. It was a 150-over-old pitch; the second match happened on the same pitch as the first.”
Notably, De Kock punished Bhuvneshwar Kumar in his very first over. The veteran swing bowler gave away 16 runs, including a couple of fours and a six as well which forced the stand-in captain KL Rahul to take him out of the attack as well.
READ HERE: Wasim Jaffer names batting-order for 2nd Test vs New Zealand
Aakash Chopra expressed: “The spinners came; he got a lifeline as well, but it did not make a difference to him. He was going on hitting the boundaries. He got dismissed to a Lord Thakur full toss, only Lord can do that to a well-set Quinton de Kock.”
“The sort of knock he played, because of that, Janneman Malan also went past 90. You can say that he could also be the Player of the Match, but in my opinion, De Kock’s inning was the best knock of the day and therefore, he is the Player of the Match for me,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
