India vs South Africa: Rishabh Pant turned 25 on Tuesday and Wasim Jaffer had a hilarious birthday wish for the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter.
Star India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant turned 25 on Tuesday and Wasim Jaffer extended his birthday wishes in quintessential fashion, with a meme. The meme, with three frames of India captain Rohit Sharma interviewing Pant, shows the former wishing the latter and asking him what he wants as a birthday gift. “Batting,” is the reply in the second frame and the third has Rohit with a whacky expression. The tweet, in the backdrop of Pant not getting a chance to bat in the two T20Is against South Africa despite being in the playing XI, went viral in no time.
Pant is unlikely to get a look-in in the T20 World Cup starting later this month, with Dinesh Karthik preferred over him, but in the South Africa series, he has been played in the absence of the rested Hardik Pandya.
However, in the first match, India chased down a low target without his turn to bat coming up as KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav taking the hosts home.
In the second T20I, which was an absolute run-fest, the top order again batted out most of the overs, and when the third wicket fell, it was the final two overs, and Dinesh Karthik was sent in as the designated finisher.
Pant, however, will hope to get a chance to impress in the third T20I, being played on his birthday in Indore, with India reportedly planning to rest Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.
Pant has often been tried as an opener in the format by the team management, and if Rahul doesn’t play, he may get a bump up the order
