Ian Smith, former New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman and a popular television commentator, has showered rich praise on young Indian gloveman, Rishabh Pant, as he predicted that his name will be biggest in Indian cricket in the future.
Pant, who is currently in New Zealand with Team India for the ongoing two-match Test series, made a promising start in the Wellington Test, but he sacrificed his wicket (run out on 19) for senior batsman Ajinkya Rahane following a miscommunication.
Well, the left-hander could not contribute much also in the second innings, but his cameo of 25 off 44 balls saved India the humiliation of an innings defeat in the first Test which the touring side lost by 10 wickets on February 24 with the final Test held in Christchurch from Saturday (February 29).
Smith said of Pant: “We are going to see a lot of Pant. It's not about just playing the game but living it. Maybe, he has to learn a few things and they [team management] are teaching him the virtues of patience. The name of Rishabh Pant will be bigger in Indian cricket. Mark my words.”
However, former stumper who featured in 63 Tests and 98 ODIs for New Zealand in the 1980s and 1990s while has 260 international dismissals to his name, 260 international dismissals to his name, felt that India misses the presence of MS Dhoni during their overseas tour.
Smith signed off by saying, “How can you not miss MS Dhoni on a cricket field? He has been a great leader and a great finisher. He almost won you the World Cup [2019] semi-final. I admire him and love talking about him, but time moves on and at some stage, you have to accept that the new generation will get a chance.”
(With Mid-Day Inputs)
