India wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant gets a lot of criticism when he fails with the bat. When there's a missed opportunity behind the stumps, the criticism doubles, perhaps because of his predecessor MS Dhoni who set a high standard.
There have been incidents when the crowd started chanting Dhoni's names when Pant made a mistake with the gloves. If that was not enough, there is a constant comparison between him and Wriddhiman Saha, his competitor for the spot in the Test side.
All these things made it hard for Pant to be at his best. But the 23-year-old knew how to handle it and come out as a match-winner.
After India's series win in Australia recently, Pant is getting appreciation for his effort in Sydney and Brisbane. He ended up as the top run-scorer for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21.
Pant opened up about his struggles before the series with Sports Today and said, "I was feeling the heat each and every day, it's part and parcel of the game. But as an individual, you need to believe in yourself. I was lucky that I had a few people around me who told me to keep believing in myself and just keep working hard."
The wicket-keeper batsman knows he has no control over what's being said about him. He can only work on his batting and change people's perspective towards him.
"If you're moving forward then you're improving, this is what I've learnt during the tough phase. Focus so much on your game that you don't notice anything else. It's difficult also to block the outside noise because of social media but I have segregated myself from it.
"When you're doing well people will write good but when you're not they will criticize you. It's part and parcel of a cricketer's life nowadays. So if you don't focus on the criticism and instead focus on your cricket then that's much better I guess," he added.
(With Sports Today Inputs)
