Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni
Taking a bit of pressure off Rishabh Pant's shoulders, former India wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra has said that the youngster has the ability to go onward and upward with time.
Ratra, who is currently working with Delhi Capitals as the team's assistant coach, believes Pant can get better with age being on his side. The 23-year-old dasher had received a lot of flak for poor glovework, inconsistent performances, and reckless batting approach. However, it's been a completely different story for Pant in the past few months.
Pant's turnaround started in Australia with a counter-attacking 97 in Sydney and a series-winning 89 in Brisbane. He also scored a ton against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
"I have been following Rishabh’s progress and feel he has improved on his footwork. He is working on the glove work. I feel he can improve more on glove work. Age is on his side," maintained Ratra while speaking to SportsKeeda.
In the recent IPL edition, Pant also took charge of the Delhi Capitals in absence of regular skipper Shreyas Iyer. Under Pant, the Delhi-based outfit finished at the top of the points table before this year's IPL was halted midway.
Ratra also drew similarities between Pant and ex-India skipper MS Dhoni, saying that the latter also needed time to cope with challenges at the international level. Pant, who has now pipped Wriddhiman Saha to become the team's first-choice wicketkeeper, will be seen in action when India take on New Zealand in the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final from June 18th in Southampton.
"When Dhoni made his debut, he was not that great. He learned at the international level and gained confidence from his batting. The same thing applies to Rishabh also. He has been batting so well and kept well in Indian conditions. If he continues that, we can see a much-improved Rishabh Pant," concluded Ratra.
