India opener Shikhar Dhawan recently opened up about his and teammate Rishabh Pant’s viral picture, in which the latter was seen sitting on the lap of the former during a photoshoot.

The photo was clicked during India’s recently concluded T20I series against South Africa. With Pant not being able to perform up to the mark in that series, he got trolled by the fans and his hilarious snap with Dhawan became a meme material.

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Appearing on India TV's popular show Aap Ki Adalat, Dhawan was asked about the photo with Pant and his response left the audience in splits.

"He just came and sat on my lap. I told him 'Rishabh, get up, someone will click a photo. I don't love guys that much that I'll make them sit on my lap,'" he said.

"But he is 21-22 years, and he doesn't listen. So he sat on my lap and said 'I will sit here only'. So I said 'Sit, what can I do? He is young and cheerful like most guys his age," the southpaw added.

During the three-match T20I series against South Africa, Pant faced the wrath of the fans for throwing his wickets after being set. In fact, many suggested him to drop from the squad right away and groom someone like Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson for the shorter formats.

But Dhawan feels his Delhi teammate has the talent to don the national team jersey for a long time to come.

"Rishabh Pant is very talented. With his talent, he will serve India for a long time," he said.

Asked if Pant needed to focus more on his batting, Dhawan said: “He is completely focused and working very hard. Sometimes there is just a situation where you can't perform. But he is learning a lot from his journey. I am sure he will learn a lot. A player like him should be backed.”