Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was the star of the show for India in the third and final ODI against England at the Old Trafford on Sunday (July 17), scoring his maiden ODI century – an unbeaten 125 to guide his team to a 2-1 series win. Pant’s performance in the final game earned him the Player of the Match trophy and the accompanying champagne in Manchester.


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Pant brought up his maiden ODI hundred at Old Trafford, ending up with an unbeaten 125 off 113 balls. His magnificent innings was laced with 16 boundaries and 2 maximums. Before notching up the three figures, he featured in a match-winning 133-run stand for the fifth wicket with all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who departed after scoring a 55-ball 71.


After having received the honour and his conversation at the post-match show, Pant came across to former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who was on commentary duty with Sky Sports. Both Pant and Shastri hugged each other but what grabbed everyone’s attention was the latter taking the bottle of champagne from the India wicketkeeper-batter.


Watch Ravi Shastri grabbing Rishabh Pant’s bottle of champagne here…



The incident was captured on camera and the video was shared on Twitter. “Pant offering his champagne to Ravi Shastri #INDvENG #OldTrafford #Pant #TeamIndia,” the caption of the video read.


“Hopefully, I remember (this knock) for the rest of my life. I was focusing on one ball at a time when I was batting. When your team is under pressure and you bat like that... something I aspire to do,” Pant said in the post-match presentation ceremony.


Pant, who got the Player of the Match award for his batting heroics, said that he enjoys playing in England. “I always enjoy playing in England, and at the same time enjoy the atmosphere and the situation. The more you play the more experience you gain,” he said.


The 24-year-old also credited the Indian bowlers for doing a fantastic job as England were bundled out for 259 on a batting-friendly pitch in Manchester. “Nothing to take away from the bowlers, it was a good wicket to bat on and the bowlers did a commendable job to restrict them, they were brilliant not only today but in the entire series,” he said.


(with IANS inputs)