21 June,2019 06:51 PM IST | | mid-day online desk
Rishabh Pant
After all the noise about Rishabh Pant being ignored from India's World Cup squad, the stylish left-hander who was on standby has finally made it to the 15-member squad after the ouster of injured Shikhar Dhawan.
Pant was flown in as cover after Dhawan suffered a thumb injury during his match-winning hundred against Australia.
With the injury turning out to be a fracture, Dhawan was ruled out of the World Cup and Pant was named his replacement in the squad.
"When I didn't get selected, I thought maybe I didn't do something right, so I became more positive and focussed on how to improve myself. Then I did well in IPL. Then I kept practicing," Pant told India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in a video posted by BCCI.
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"It is one dream for all to make India win. When I came to know that I have been called to England as a back-up, my mother was with me. So I told her, she went to the temple and paid her offerings.
"As a cricketer, I always wanted to play a World Cup and perform there and now that I have got this opportunity, I am feeling very happy."
Currently placed at the fourth spot in the points table, India will next take on Afghanistan Saturday.
With inputs from PTI
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