A former Australian wicketkeeper has advised Rishabh Pant to bring his own unique style to the game.
Former Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin has advised Rishabh Pant to 'create his own identity', rather than trying to be 'someone he is not'.
In an interview with Sportstar, Haddin insisted that even when he had to follow the footsteps of Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist, he knew that he had to bring his own style rather than trying to play like them.
"Expectation comes with anyone at this level and that’s one of the things you’ve got to deal with. But the most important thing is to create your own identity of what you want to be seen as," Haddin said.
"You bring your own style to the team. When I first got my opportunity to play Test cricket, I couldn’t try to be an Adam Gilchrist or Ian Healy. I had to bring my own unique style to the game. One of the challenges here is not trying to be someone you’re not and just be true to yourself."
Rishabh Pant had been the first-choice wicketkeeper in the Indian team since the 2019 World Cup, as Dhoni continued to make himself unavailable for India's home and away series since.
However, he lost his top spot earlier this year to KL Rahul after a series of inconsistent performances with the bat.
"India have been blessed for the last 10 years to have a superstar of the game in M. S. Dhoni. So, it’s important whoever takes over from that role creates their own identity. Dhoni has left a great legacy to the game. He’s left a great legacy for Indian cricket, but the next one involved, it’s up to them to put their own style to the game and their identity what they want to create as an Indian keeper," Haddin said.
While KL Rahul currently keeps the wickets in the T20Is and ODIs, Rishabh Pant made a comeback in the side in the two-Test series in New Zealand as he was picked over Wriddhiman Saha. However, he failed to step up with the bat in the series.
