"It was good to see Rishabh Pant give Avesh Khan two overs on the trot" - Ashish Nehra after IND vs SA 2022 4th T20I

Ashish Nehra was pleased to see Rishabh Pant give Avesh Khan two overs in the powerplay in the fourth T20I between India and South Africa at Rajkot on Friday.

Speaking on Cricbuzz after the game, Nehra pointed out that Rishabh Pant stopped Avesh Khan after his first over in the earlier games.

However, he stated that the stand-in skipper did the right thing in giving the pacer two overs upfront after Hardik Pandya's expensive over on Friday.

Khan emerged as the pick of the bowlers in the game, picking up four wickets from his full quota of overs. Nehra suggested that this performance would boost his confidence as bowling figures are important for a youngster.

Nehra said:

"Avesh Khan didn't bowl a lot of slower balls today. It was good to see Rishabh Pant give Avesh Khan two overs on the trot over this time. We've seen before that Rishabh hasn't given Avesh a second over, even if his first over was a good one. He finished with impressive bowling figures and these things are important for a youngster."

Parthiv Patel also lauded Avesh Khan for his wonderful bowling spell against the Proteas. He opined that the right-armer proved that he has got the talent with his impactful performance in the crucial game.

Patel explained:

"Avesh Khan hit the right lengths. He has been getting a lot of chances in international cricket and one only gets that when you have that talent. He didn't perform too badly in the first three games as well. But with the way he bowled today, he proved that the has got the ability. He's consistently done well in the IPL. There was some assistance from the wicket and he made the most of it here and backed his strengths."

Meanwhile, India managed to stay afloat in the series with their comprehensive victory in Rajkot. They won comprehensively by 82 runs to level the five-match series 2-2.

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"You have a chance of bouncing back in this format" - Ashish Nehra on India bouncing back after two successive losses

The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that the shortest format gives teams a chance to make a comeback even if they don't start too well. He mentioned how India had their backs on the wall after two back-to-back defeats in the ongoing series.

Nehra stated that Rishabh Pant and co. did an exceptional job to stage a turnaround to win the subsequent two fixtures, and that too by handsome margins. He said:

"India did lose the first two games, but you have a chance of bouncing back in this format. It is surely difficult after losing two fixtures in a five-match series. But the way India staged a turnaround by winning two games by big margins is praiseworthy."

India and South Africa will next be seen in action on Sunday, June 19 in the fifth and final T20I. The match is scheduled to be played at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.