India and England are locking horns with each other in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Adelaide Oval. International cricket has always been pretty competitive in nature and it often makes players insecure and selfish about their own success over the team. However, Rishabh Pant won hearts on Thursday after he obliged Hardik Pandya by sacrificing his wicket during India’s death overs.
India, despite seeming to struggle to get a defendable score at one stage, ended up with a commendable total of 168/6 at the end of their 20 overs. The explosion was a result of the brilliant blitzkrieg by Hardik Pandya in the death overs as the all-rounder ended up high-scoring for the team with 63 off just 33 deliveries.
WATCH – Virat Kohli Nails The DRS After Pinpoint Yorker From Chris Jordan
Initially provided support by Virat Kohli, Pandya was later joined by Rishabh Pant in the 19th over with the latter playing just his second game of the tournament. The wicket-keeper had a golden opportunity to cement his place in the team in an incident in the last over that highlighted Pant’s dedication to the team’s cause and his selfless instincts even in the most pressure-filled situations.
On strike against Chris Jordan, the 24-year-old failed to get away a wide yorker as the ball hurtled on into Jos Buttler’s gloves. Dazed for a moment, Rishabh Pant did not realize Pandya was charging toward the striker’s end seeking to play the final three balls and propel India to a better score with his hitting.
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By the time Pant became aware of the situation, there was no way he could have made it back to the other end on time. Nevertheless, urged by a passionate Pandya, Rishabh Pant showed no hesitation in sacrificing his wicket and was comfortably run out by Jordan. While walking off, Pant managed to endear the crowd with a wry smile and a thumbs-up gesture for his batting partner, aware the team needed the all-rounder to be on-strike during the fag end of the innings.
Here is the video of the incident:
https://twitter.com/MAHARAJ96620593/status/1590642475131351047?s=20&t=5TLig1iOk_a12PptvsDt1A
Twitterati were quick to recognize Pant’s selflessness and took to social media to praise his team spirit.
https://twitter.com/mufaddal_vohra/status/1590638644809064450?s=20&t=CYkrXVUSFVcrWvcGpCg4J
https://twitter.com/rishabpantclub/status/1590639489441206272?s=20&t=QUmi6M72Xb0AsmC9MODRjw
This thumbs up by Rishabh Pant gave us 10 runs. #RishabPant #INDvsENG #HardikPandya#HardikPandya pic.twitter.com/asnKa4Fdtb
— Nikhil Sanu 🇮🇳 (@nikhilsanu17) November 10, 2022
Moment of the match.
Selfless cricket from Rishabh Pant.#INDvsENG#TeamIndia #AdelaideOval pic.twitter.com/5ieZJQKfp5— A R I N D A M (@ArindamSarma7) November 10, 2022
thank you rishabh pant pic.twitter.com/mA6kJdR0dw
— gordon (@gordonramashray) November 10, 2022
me to rishabh pant pic.twitter.com/wqxGXGayCS
— Dia (@JoshiDiya_) November 10, 2022
Rishabh Pant’s it’s ok sign after being run out is love! ❤️ #INDvsENG #HardikPandya #Rishabpant pic.twitter.com/QjPSfYZ91s
— Sushil Chauhan (@SushilChauhann) November 10, 2022
Rishabh Pant, you sacrificed your wicket for good today. 👏
— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) November 10, 2022
me to rishabh pant pic.twitter.com/XH8NEggJm2
— vipin (@djfrankkie) November 10, 2022
