Armed with Virat Kohli's advice, Rishabh Pant focussed on turning Delhi Capitals' fortunes in IPL 2019
One of the brightest young prospects in Indian cricket, Rishabh Pant is all set to once again impress in the 2019 IPL carnival for Delhi Capitals and is hungry to stand out this season as well. Under the guidance of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, Pant opens up on the experience he's gaining from the seniors.
At a young age, Pant made a name for himself in Test cricket by smashing outstanding centuries in England and Australia under tough conditions and being the only Indian wicketkeeper to do so.
Every cricketer needs guidance from their senior players so that the performance pressure gets lighter from the youngster's shoulder. Indian skipper Kohli and former captain Dhoni have played the same role in Pant's career so far.
In an exclusive interview with IndiaTV, 21-year-old Pant said that senior players Dhoni and Kohli guidance has helped him a lot and how he learns from others' mistakes.
"Focus is on learning from the seniors, Mahi bhai, Virat bhai, to learn from them on and off the field. Virat bhai told me that requiring experience is not compulsory, but to make mistakes we can learn from. If somebody else makes a mistake and we learn from that, that in itself is experience gained
"As a player it really boosts one's confidence if the skipper backs you. I want to be a team man for now," Pant told IndiaTV during an exclusive chat on the sidelines of an Adidas showroom launch at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon.
Despite hailing Kohli's role in his budding career, Pant is in no mood to mess with the RCB skipper in the upcoming season of Indian Premier League. Pant said he knows the value of Kohli's wicket and how he can take away the match on his own.
"Fun and games are different, if we get Virat in the opposition, we don't want to get thrashed by Virat bhai in the IPL, it is an important wicket to get that's why we trouble him. Our main aim to help the team win," Pant added.
Rishabh Pant
In the recently concluded Australia series, Pant has been constantly compared to Dhoni. Ahead of IPL 2019, the left-handed batsman is not in favour of comparisons with 'legend' Dhoni and is focusing on winning matches for Delhi Capitals.
"I can't be compared to a legend. I get to learn a lot from him, on and off the field. I want to remain positive and want to help Delhi Capitals win all matches," he concluded.
Earlier, Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun also backed Rishabh Pant when fans compared him with MS Dhoni.
"Unfair to compare Dhoni and Pant. Dhoni's stature is huge. He is a legend. His work behind the stumps is exemplary.
"MSD is a huge influence on the team. We will be trying out different combinations. Not necessarily these combinations will be in the World Cup. Any mistakes, hiccups have to be now. We are extremely cautious," Arun said.
(With Inputs from IndiaTV's Sports Correspondent Vaibhav Bhola)
