Rishabh Pant has always been compared to the legendary MS Dhoni since he took over the gloves post the latter's retirement. Since it has been not easy filling shoes as big as Dhoni's, the fans have let Pant know from time to time about his not-so-great wicket-keeping skills.
Former Indian wicket-keeper Saba Karim took a jog down the memory lane and stated that MS Dhoni too wasn't up to the mark with the gloves in his early days as an India cricketer. The Jharkhand cricketer's batting helped him cement a spot in the national side and that helped him improve his wicket-keeping.
Saba Karim told SportsKeeda, "I go back to the early days of MS Dhoni. When MS Dhoni first came into the Indian team as a wicketkeeper-batsman, his keeping ability was not up to the mark. It was his batting that benefitted his keeping. Once he cemented his place in the side through his batting exploits, he realized that he could improve his keeping skills."
The 53-year-old is also wary of the fact that Rishabh Pant has been heavily criticized by the Indian fans for his glovework but he might improve once he gets a fixed spot in the team on the basis of his batting.
He said, "We, at times, are very harsh in assessing Rishabh Pant’s keeping. It’s a skill you acquire as you grow in confidence. Wicketkeeping is all about confidence, and the best part about Rishabh Pant is that it’s his batting ability that will help him grow as a wicketkeeper."
"If you are batting well, it will help your wicketkeeping. They complement each other. In days to come, we will see the same kind of transformation with Rishabh Pant's keeping skills, as well," Karim added.
The former keeper also stated that Pant needs to tone up his skills behind the stumps against spin but is confident that the fielding coach of the Indian team, R Sridhar, must be working closely with the youngster.
"Having said so, he needs to work more on his technique, especially against spinners. R Sridhar is quite an accomplished coach, and I am sure he must be working closely with Pant. We need to give him some time," Saba Karim concluded.
(With inputs from SportsKeeda)
