Kaif's choice was an interesting one.
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has recently revealed the name of the biggest matchwinner for India in an interaction with TOI.
Kaif’s choice was however interesting as he didn’t name any of the top stars – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah or Hardik Pandya.
Instead, the 43-year-old labelled dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant with the coveted tag.
Pant, who played his first Test match in the recently concluded first Test against Bangladesh since his horrific car injury back in 2022, put up a stellar display.
Kaif told TOI, “Rishabh Pant wasn’t there the last time when England toured India. Pant has been the biggest match-winner for India, coming in at No. 5-6, he has played many match-winning knocks, none bigger than the innings at the Gabba that all remember. He has hit hundreds in tough conditions in South Africa and England also.”
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Pant made a resounding return to the longest format, slamming his sixth international century in red-ball cricket.
In the process, Pant also equalled his idol MS Dhoni in terms of Test centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper. Both Pant and Dhoni now have six Test hundreds to their name but Pant has played only 34 Tests (58 innings) for his six Test tons while Dhoni collected his six from 90 Tests (144 innings).
On the other hand, the two biggest superstars of Indian cricket – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had a tough time in the first Bangladesh Test, registering two back-to-back low scores.
However, when questioned about whether Virat and Rohit, who have both retired from T20Is are beyond their prime and if India should consider potential successors, Kaif disagreed.
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