Rishabh Pant: After a string of low scores with the bat, Rishabh Pant’s position in the Indian cricket team is now under the microscope.
The way Pant had batted on the tours of England and Australia, he was hailed as the successor of the stalwart MS Dhoni, but the southpaw hasn’t been able to maintain the same kind of form ever since.
There have been question marks over his shot selection and his composure behind the stumps. During the 3rd T20I against Bangladesh, Pant made a basic wicket-keeping mistake while stumping Liton Das.
In his attempt to whips the bails quickly, the 22-year old collected the ball inches in front of the stumps and although, he took the bails off cleanly after that, the third umpire ruled it not out and the on-field umpire called it a no ball because Pant’s gloves were slightly in front of the stumps.
There have been a couple of keepers, namely Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson, who have performed well in the Indian domestic cricket in the last few years and they are knocking the door of the national team.
Samson was even a part of the Indian squad for the series against Bangladesh, however he didn’t get an opportunity to play.
Pant’s critics want one of those two to replace Pant in the Indian playing XI. However, amidst all the criticism, what would have boosted Pant’s morale is the backing of Rohit Sharma who asked the reporters in Nagpur to “take their eyes off Pant for a while”.
Now, the former Indian cricketer Pravin Amre has also backed Rishabh Pant comparing his timing with the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Amre has, however, admitted that Pant has lost his timing at the moment and he needs to find it.
“He is like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, a great timer of the ball. He has to focus on getting it right. He seems to be confused about how he should be going about it, whether to play the waiting game or his natural attacking game,” Amre was quoted saying by Times Now.
Amre is currently the talent scout for Delhi Capitals in the IPL and also, the batting coach of the United States national cricket team.
