IND v ENG 2021: “Rishabh Pant is more than ready to fill MS Dhoni's shoes,” says Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma said that Rishabh Pant can do wonders with backing of team management.

Rishabh Pant was the toast of the second day’s play of the fourth Test match between India and England underway at the Motera, Ahmedabad. He scored a scintillating century which put India in a position of advantage.

India was reeling at 146/6 at one stage, when Rishabh Pant, supported by Washington Sundar counter-attacked England bowlers, adding 113 runs for the seventh wicket. He scored a hundred in 115 balls with 13 fours and 2 sixes, one of which brought him his third Test century.

Speaking about Rishabh Pant’s knock in the post-match Rohit Sharma said that the keeper was more than ready to take MS Dhoni’s place in the Indian team.

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“He is more than ready I guess. He seems to be doing the job for us,” Rohit said.

“Pant has his own style of batting. Obviously, there have been messages, as to how he needs to approach his innings. He seems to be batting in his own style which is great from our perspective as well because he seems to be getting the job done, which is more important,” Rohit said at the post-match press conference.

Rohit urged one and all not to nitpick Pant’s infrequent failures which come with the package.

He said, “There will be times when he will play his shots and he will get out and I don’t want anyone to get upset with that. Because he is someone, who will play an innings like that to get the team from a tough situation to suddenly within a span of one hour, the team starts looking different.”

Rohit reminded everyone when MS Dhoni showed faith in him while asking him to open the batting for India in white-ball matches. He feels that even Pant can play freely with the backing of the team management.

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“People like Pant, you need to back their skills, back their ability and management understands that and he has been given the freedom as well which is very important from my perspective as I completely understand from a batsman’s point of view.

When you have a captain and coach backing you, how important a feeling is that to have as a player. Pant seems to have that now. He will give you knocks like this every now and then but I don’t want anyone to make opinions about how he got out playing bad shots,” Rohit emphasized.

(PTI inputs)