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Former Pakistan cricket team captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has been mightily impressed by India’s young talent Rishabh Pant, following his heroics in the home Test series against England, and has called him the “left-handed Virender Sehwag.”

Hailing Pant during a video on his YouTube channel, Inzamam-ul-Haq said, “After a long time, I have seen a player on whom pressure seems to have no effect. Even if six wickets are down at 146, the way he starts his innings, no one does."

After Pant was instrumental in retaining the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy for India during their Australian tour earlier this year, the left-handed middle-order batsman played a heroic knock in the recently concluded Test match at the Motera Stadium.

Coming into bat at 80/4, following an early Indian batting collapse, Pant showed nerves of steel to bring up his third Test century in 115 balls. He forged a timely 113-run stand with Washington Sundar to give India an 89-run lead at the end of Day 2. India would wrap up the match on Day 3 with an innings and 25 runs remaining.

“He plays his strokes, irrespective of the pitch or how many runs the other team has scored. He is equally good against spinners and fast bowlers. I thoroughly enjoy watching him. It’s like watching Sehwag bat left-handed,” Inzamam said.

“Sehwag, too, didn’t bother about other factors. When he used to bat, it didn’t matter to him how the pitch behaved or what kind of bowling attack the opponent had. He just had to play his strokes, even if the fielders were on the boundary. After Sehwag, this is the first time I have seen such a player, for whom nothing else matters,” Inzamam added.

Feature Image courtesy: AFP/ Patrick Hamilton

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