Former Indian cricketer and Chennai Super Kings premier batsman Suresh Raina while recalling the tough times Rishabh Pant had after the 2019 World Cup said that everyone was criticizing the wicket-keeper batsman for no reason.
Since MS Dhoni’s last match for India in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup, young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant saw himself in the firing line for his poor keeping skills, fitness issues, and inconsistent batting and then later was dropped from India's limited-overs set-up.
However, Pant’s turnaround is one of the most remarkable ones being witnessed in the history of Indian cricket. The 23-years-old was one of the main reasons behind India’s triumph over Australia down under in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and then later dominated England across all formats at home.
Talking to Hindustan Times in an interview, former Indian cricketer and Chennai Super Kings batsman Suresh Raina recalled how Rishabh Pant had more critics than fans early in his career. He added that a flamboyant batsman like Pant requires the full support of team management even when he gets out playing big shots.
“Koi bhi use mandir ka ghanta samajhke bajake chale jara tha, (everyone was criticising him).” First, since the Australia tour he has looked like scoring big in every innings. Against Jack Leach it felt like he would hit a six off every ball.
“For a stroke player like him, you need to give him the license to hit. Sometimes, when he gets out playing the big shots, you need to support him,” Suresh Raina told Hindustan Times.
Raina said that Rishabh Pant needs to be backed and Indian skipper Virat Kohli is doing that. He added that the latter can play cricket for 10 to 15 years.
“Like what Brian Lara used to say. When the time is good such players score a lot of runs but when it’s a tough time those runs should be a reminder of the player’s ability. He needs to be backed and Virat is doing it. Pant is here to stay for 10 to 15 years,” he said.
Delhi Capitals will face Chennai Super Kings on April 10 in Mumbai in the second match of the IPL 2021. Rishabh Pant will led Delhi based franchise for the first time in IPL while Suresh Raina will be marking his return in IPL after missing the last season due to personal reasons.
(Hindustan Times inputs)
