I would stop everything to watch Rishabh Pant bat, says Ian Bell

New Delhi: Former England opener Ian Bell lavished high praise on India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's stroke-making abilities and said that he would leave everything to watch him bat.

Pant, who has emerged as India's all-format player in recent years, returned to competitive cricket in the 2024 IPL. He went on to win the T20 World Cup with the Indian team in Barbados in June. Since making his international return, Pant has been an integral part of Men in Blue across formats.

"The player I enjoy watching the most is Rishabh Pant. I'm so pleased he is back. I love watching him. Some of his innings (against England) were incredible under pressure as well. When Rishabh comes out to bat, I would definitely sit down and stop everything else to watch him. He is certainly an entertainer which is great to watch," Bell told IANS.

The veteran of 118 Tests, 161 ODIs and eight T20Is and more than 13,000 international runs, Bell picked Australian greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath as the toughest bowlers he faced during his career.

"I feel very lucky to have faced some of the greats of the game early in my career. Cricket is a game of partnerships, whether you bat in the middle or whether you're bowling. Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath together are the best I have faced. Those two would go out as best," he said.

When asked about his thoughts on the current England team, Bell said, "It's been fascinating to watch since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took over, there's a lot of talk about Bazball and a lot of aggression they play with. They've managed to allow the players to guard with some freedom. I think that's the real skill, Ravi Shastri had that ability as well to be able to pick pressure away from players. I think that's a really important skill as a coach. McCullum and Stokes allowed this team to show their talent and pushed them into positive."