Under pressure Rishabh Pant has been asked by chief national selector of the Indian team MSK Prasad to improve his wicket-keeping skills, and was further advised to train under a specialist wicket-keeping coach to improve his glove work. Pant, who has trained with Kiran More, former Indian keeper before, has been slammed for spilling a number of chances in the T20I and the ODI series against West Indies.
“Pant needs to improve his keeping skills. We will have him work under a specialist wicket-keeping coach,” Prasad told reporters here after the Indian team selection for the limited overs series against Sri Lanka and Australia.
However, Pant has the backing of Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who has rallied behind the 22-year old, and was infuriated when the crowds have chanted MS Dhoni’s name after the youngster has dropped catches. Pant also has been supported by West Indian legend Brian Lara, who stated that the unnecessary pressure on Pant was adding to his dismal run.
“As a 21 (22) year-old, Rishabh Pant has a lot of unnecessary pressure. When I was 21, I did not have that much pressure. I was sitting down on the bench… you know… cleaning Sir Vivian Richards’s boots or doing something… getting ready to play international cricket,” Lara had said.
“I think the burden is unnecessary. He should be allowed to play and allowed to express himself. Don’t feel it’s a do-or-die situation”
Sourav Ganguly, current BCCI President too has rallied behind the Delhi Capitals player, saying that Pant is a “superb player” who will mature with time. He added that he should not be compared with Dhoni or even Wriddhiman Saha, as he is still young but the talent that he possesses can in no way be ignored.
With the bat too, Pant has been inconsistent, and he had to face the anger of Ravi Shastri after the tour of West Indies this year, when the coach stated that Pant needed a “wrap on his knuckles for playing bad shots”. However, the Delhi player seems to have ended 2019 on a high with the bat at least, as he scored two important knocks in the series against West Indies.
