"He was smart in picking his bowlers"- Zaheer Khan on Rishabh Pant's incredible ODI ton

Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan believes Rishabh Pant paced his innings to perfection in the ODI series decider against England in Manchester on Sunday.

The 24-year-old was a bit cautious in the beginning as he took his time to score his fifty. Hardik Pandya, at the other end, ensured that Pant got a bit of breathing space.

But once the southpaw was set, he unleashed his counter-attacking game and that completely took the match away from England. Pant remained unbeaten on 125 off just 113 deliveries and dished out an outrageous exhibition of strokeplay towards the backend of the innings.

Although Rishabh Pant was given a life early on in his innings through a missed stumping by Jos Buttler, Zaheer Khan felt the wicketkeeper-batter shouldn't be judged on his unorthodox shot selection.

Speaking to Cricbuzz after the game, here's what the 43-year-old had to say:

"When you have aggressive instincts, these things (missed stumping) will happen. But how he built his innings was of interest. Once the partnership started to build, you have to put bowlers under pressure.

"He was smart in picking his bowlers and kept his aggressive style going. His last 20 percent of the innings was when the aggressive Pant came up but other than that, his innings was very calculative."

Zaheer Khan on Hardik Pandya's all-round contribution

All-rounder Hardik Pandya was named the Player of the Series after a fantastic performance in Manchester.

He picked up his best ODI figures of 4/24, which ensured India chased only 260 runs to win the series. The 28-year-old then came out to bat with the Men in Blue still in a precarious position and smashed 71 off just 55 deliveries, stitching together an exhilarating 133-run partnership with Pant.

Zaheer Khan reckons the more Pandya will bowl, the more he will be in his groove and be effective as India's 'X-factor'. He stated:

"The biggest positive has been the number of overs he has bowled. If he feels bowling-fit, he will be able to play more matches and will be able to contribute with both bat and ball. That puts you in a very strong position to compete in any conditions.

"He is going to be a great X factor going forward if he is able to manage himself."

Both Pant and Pandya have been rested from the ODI leg of India's tour of the West Indies. They have both been named in the squad for the five-match T20I series that is to follow.