Team India fielding coach R Sridhar lauded wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant and said that there were occasions on the Australia tour where Pant sacrificed his batting to work an extra half an hour or one hour on his wicketkeeper.
After being dropped from India's limited-overs set-up and getting trolled for his weight and performances during IPL 2020; Rishabh Pant's turnaround is one of the most remarkable ones being witnessed in the history of Indian cricket.
Pant was a revelation with the bat in the recently concluded Australia Test series, as he first helped India gain momentum in MCG Tests with a quick 30. In Sydney Test, Pant slammed 97 to give Australia bowlers a panic attack as the visitors chased 407 and earned a brilliant draw in the process.
Rishabh Pant's brilliant knock of 89* helped India chase down 328 runs in Brisbane and hand Australia their first loss at Gabba in a Test in 32 years.
Rishabh Pant however has always found himself in the firing line for his wicket-keeping skills. The former also dropped a couple of catches during the Test series.
Reflecting on Pant’s keeping Sridhar said that there were occasions where Pant sacrificed his batting to work on his wicket-keeping and added that Pant is a work in progress.
AUS v IND 2020-21: India fielding coach R Sridhar says “scope for lots of improvement”
"There have been occasions on this tour where he sacrificed his batting to work an extra half an hour or one hour on his wicketkeeping. So, that's great news for everybody who wants to know. He is a work in progress.
What you see is what you get with Rishabh. He can give you heart attacks; he can give you heartaches; he can give you heartbreaks, but he can also give you moments that take your breath away." R Sridhar told Star Sports.
Sridhar further touted left-handed batsman and said Pant as a package is extremely exciting.
"He is a great package, probably one of the most explosive cricketers and one of the most fearless cricketers going around. Plus, he is a left-hander, so that adds a lot of variation in the middle order. So, all in all, Rishabh Pant as a package is extremely exciting," he concluded.
With his tally of 274 runs in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar trophy, Rishabh Pant was the highest run-scorer for India. The 23-years-old batsman also broke MS Dhoni's record to become the fastest Indian wicket-keeper batsman to score 1000 Test runs.
(Star Sports Inputs)
