Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has said that Rishabh Pant’s match-winning century in the third ODI against England on Sunday (July 17) was similar to the iconic partnership between Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif in the Natwest Series Final way back in 2002. With India two down for 21 runs, Pant had to believe his natural instincts initially and then he got good support in Hardik Pandya at the other end and stitched together a crucial partnership for the fifth wicket as well.

While talking about that, Kaneria said, “Pant’s innings reminded me of Yuvraj and Kaif in the Natwest Trophy final. Even there, the top-order batters were gone in a collapse, the youngsters helped India cross the line. Pandya and Pant also similarly put up a crucial partnership. They broke the bowling unit. Pandya is in a great rhythm now, he has worked really hard on his fitness.”

While claiming that Rishabh Pant will go onto be a world-class player, Kaneria said: “Rishabh Pant played with a lot of maturity, he is going to be a world-class player. There are only a few players who can match him in terms of talent. He can even convert his 100s to 200, that’s how big a player he is. He is extremely confident as well. If you have players like Pandya and Pant, targets like these become easier to chase.”

He also praised Hardik Pandya for his recent exploits in the ODIs against England. The all-rounder was named the Player of the Series after scoring 100 runs and taking six wickets against England

Danish Kaneria said on his YouTube channel: “India bowled well with the new ball in the absence of [Jasprit] Bumrah, but it was Hardik Pandya’s day. India always wanted an all-rounder like this for a long, long time. They have always had a spin all-rounder, but India needed someone who could support the pace unit and batting. Hardik Pandya is the No. 1 all-rounder in the world. He played a very important role in [Rishabh] Pant’s innings, he kept talking to him throughout their partnership and gave him confidence. This is one of the best knocks in Pant’s career so far, there is no doubt about it.”