Veteran wicketkeeper batsman Parthiv Patel believes young Rishabh Pant – who has been in the firing line lately – needs to ignore criticism and focus on his game.
Ever since Pant replaced the legendary MS Dhoni in the limited-overs circuit, he is facing the wrath of the fans and pundits – be it for his batting, wicket-keeping skills or his suggestion to captain while going for DRS calls.
"Today's youngsters have got that advantage of playing with the big players and sharing the dressing room with them. But when you are struggling for form, you get opinions from all quarters. It's about keeping yourself away from opinions and focus on your game," Patel quoted as saying by PTI.
"If you play for India, there would be pressure. Every player has got pressure of different situations. Your skills get honed in such pressure situations.
"In the T20 series (against WI) he did well. You see he's having a fun time at the ground as well. He can become a good player when he comes out of such pressure situations," he added.
Commenting on Pant's wicketkeeping technique, the 34-year-old Patel said: "Obviously when you play for India, you have something in you. He made his Test debut in a tough place like England where the ball swings a lot. He's a young player. It's about gaining confidence. It can change in a matter of one-two innings."
Amid the criticism, the team management and selectors continue to back Rishabh Pant. In fact, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma recently urged critics to leave Pant alone while the legendary Sunil Gavaskar said the youngster has a thankless job to do and needs to be given enough chances to prove himself.
"Opinions should not matter when you know that the team management and selectors back you. It's about enjoying the moment and express yourself," Parthiv said.
"It's just because he's doing well there's so much talk about him. He has done well in the last series. He has got the talent and the team is providing him that confidence to do much better," he continued.
However, when asked about India's best wicketkeeper in the longest format, Patel took the name of Bengal pro Wriddhiman Saha.
"There's no doubt about that. The way he takes catches and brings the energy on the field, there's no doubt that he's the No 1 wicketkeeper in the world. The way he goes about his business. He's probably world's best wicketkeeper. He knows what's good for him," he signed off.
(With PTI inputs)
