“Got good experience from playing Test cricket”: Rishabh Pant
With MS Dhoni opting out of the West Indies tour, Team India’s wicket-keeping duties will fall into the hands of veteran Wriddhiman Saha and newbie Rishabh Pant. The former has been named in India’s Test squad after injury kept him out of action for a while. The latter has already become a near certainty in the limited-overs setup.
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A taste of World Cup
An attacking left-handed batsman, Pant came in as a replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan in the World Cup to bolster India’s fledgeling middle order. As a 21-year old coming on the back of just 5 ODIs, he copped plenty of criticism for his irresponsible shot-making and the inability to convert good starts. But in a maiden World Cup outing, he did well for himself (116 runs in 4 innings). The youngster remains ever so confident and believes he can stamp his authority on the most talked-about batting position.
“I loved batting at No. 4. It was nothing new for me as I have played at No. 4 before, like in the IPL. I had been practising for the same role,” Pant said in an interview with the Hindustan Times.
Path to Test cricket
Behind the stumps, Pant is still a work-in-progress. But his batsmanship has seen a steady rise ever since he first burst on the international scene. His tryst with Test cricket in challenging English conditions in 2018 prepared him for the big stage. After a string of single-digit scores in his first two Tests, Pant finally bloomed in the third at The Oval, notching up his maiden Test century. Then in January this year, he smashed an unbeaten 159 against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. All this on the back of consistent thirty-plus scores in the series and two nineties against the West Indies at home.
“I got good experience from playing Test cricket. People used to say that Test cricket is the most difficult. So I got to learn a lot, how to build the innings, playing down the order and how to bat with the tail”, he added.
Prodigy turned successor
As the Indian team prepares for a full-fledged tour of the West Indies, the focus will be on grooming next-gen youngsters like Pant. Given Dhoni’s absence from the series, Pant will be India’s first-choice keeper, at least in T20Is and ODIs.
“I know those are big shoes to fill, but if I start thinking about it there will be a problem,” Pant said when asked about replacing Dhoni. “Right now, I am not thinking about what people say. I am just focusing on what I have to do.”
From a reckless pinch-hitting option to a work-in-progress asset, Pant is slowly carving his path in international cricket.
