Rishabh Pant on Friday notched a record
while playing an 85-run knock against South Africa at Boland Park, Paarl.
Pant’s 85 off 71 is the highest score by an Indian wicket-keeper in an ODI in
South Africa. The previous best was held by the current head coach of the
Indian cricket team, Rahul Dravid, who scored 77 in Durban in 2001. MS Dhoni
scored 65 in 2013 against South Africa in Johannesburg.

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The southpaw looked set for his maiden
hundred but he fell short of 15 runs while trying to play a lofted shot off
left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.

Pant came to bat when India lost two
wickets for 64 runs. While Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed for 29, former captain
Virat Kohli got out for a duck. It was Pant who took on the South African
bowlers and hit them all-round the parks. He managed the South African spinners
Keshav Maharaj, Shamsi and Aiden Markram pretty well.

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During his stroke-filled knock, Pant hit 10
fours and two sixes. Pant also formed a 115-run stand for the fourth wicket as
India post 286 for 6.

The second ODI is a must-win game for India
as they lost the first game by 31 runs. India on Friday played an unchanged XI.

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After Rahul and Pant’s dismissals, Shardul
Thakur (40 not out off 38 balls) once again played a handy innings in the
company of Ravichandran Ashwin (25 not out off 24 balls) to prop up the score
somewhat.

Skipper Rahul dropped anchor at one end but
it was more like his own runs than ones that would have really helped the
team’s cause as he stayed at the wicket for more than 30 overs opening the
innings and barely managed a fifty-plus score.

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It didn’t hurt much during their stand as
Pant with 10 fours and two sixes took charge to keep the run-rate at a healthy
five-plus per over.

Both slow left-arm orthodox Keshav Maharaj
(9-0-52-1) and left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (9-0-57-2), who otherwise
looked good, were made to look pedestrian by Pant.