Sportzwiki Exclusive: After MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant Is The Wicket-Keeper Who Is Performing Well In Indian Cricket: Tarak Sinha, Coach Of Rishabh Pant

May 7, 2017 at 8:07 AM

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Sportzwiki Exclusive: After MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant Is The Wicket-Keeper Who Is Performing Well In Indian Cricket: Tarak Sinha, Coach Of Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant has been making sounds since the day he has arrived in domestic cricket. The youngster announced his arrival with a half century on his Ranji Trophy debut in a tensed game between Delhi and Bengal and has continued the same till now.

The former Under 19 player first grabbed the limelight when he scored a half century in just 18 balls in the Under 19 World Cup last year. Following that, he was sold to Delhi Daredevils in the IPL auction 2016 for an amount of 1.90 Crore and performed well – scoring 198 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 130.26.

It was the previous domestic season i.e. 2016/17 where he really showed that he is a player of a different class as he amassed 972 runs in the Ranji Trophy, which included almost a run-a-ball triple century against Maharashtra and also fastest ever century in the history of Ranji Trophy against Jharkhand.

Riding on his brilliant show, the youngster made it to the Indian team for the T20I series against visiting England side and made his debut in the third and final T20I in Bengaluru.

The youngster made a sudden progress and was given the charge to lead Delhi side in Vijay Haare Trophy 2016/17 but did not have a good stint as a captain. Captaincy also had an impact on his batting as he could just manage to score 159 runs, which included only one half-century.

Before coming in the IPL, Rishabh had the challenge to regain his form and also make a statement to be in the squad for the champions Trophy. In 10 games he has played in the T20 tournament till now, Pant has shown why he deserves a place in the Indian team and now, there are high chances of the youngster being given a place in the team flying to England for the title defence.

Sportzwiki caught with the man behind Rishabh’s success, his coach Tarak Sinha, the man who trains budding cricketers at Sonnet Club in South Delhi.

Sinha has produced more than 10 international cricketers including likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Ashish Nehra, Aakash Chopra, Anjum Chopra and many more.

The veteran coach is confident that Rishabh will get a place in the team for the Champions Trophy and also revealed chances of Dhawan and Nehra making it to the team. Here are some excerpts from the interview –

(SW stands for Sportzwiki, TS stands for Tarak Sinha)

SW: Are you hopeful that Rishabh will find his name in the squad for the Champions Trophy?

TS: If we take performance into consideration, then surely Rishabh should be selected in the team for the Champions Trophy. After MS Dhoni, Rishabh is the one who is the only wicket-keeper batsman who is performing well and he deserves a place in the team.

SW: He (Rishabh) performed quite well in the Ranji Trophy and also in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy (Interzonal) but had a rough patch during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2016/17 just before IPL. How did you motivate him to do well in IPL?

TS: See, it was a long season and it’s a fact that one cannot play same level cricket all throughout the season. There are ups and downs during the course but Rishabh did his job well. It happens sometimes when a player faces a slump in form after reaching the peak. At that time, as a coach, our work is to ensure that a player shrugs off the poor form as soon as possible and get back on the track.

Rishabh came to me after the tournament, had a word with me and then we had some talks. I motivated him to do well in List A format as well. Now he is performing well.

SW: Do you think that it was the pressure of captaincy that had an impact on his form as the team had likes of Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra and Shikhar Dhawan and it was young Rishabh Pant who was chosen as the captain. Was captaincy the reason behind this?

TS: When you are assigned a role, you have to fulfil that. He did his job. He tried his level best. Talking about his own performance, there are ups and downs. He is a good player.

Rishabh was given captaincy because he performed well for the Delhi. Talking about performance, it improves with time.

SW: Playing aggressively and coming up with these shots. Was it natural or you worked with him to mould him like this?

TS: No, he is an aggressive batsman right from the start.

SW: Before Under 19 World Cup, Rishabh was the prime candidate for the post of the captain of the side but Ishan Kishan was preferred over him. Was he disappointed at that time?

TS: Before the World Cup, he was not thinking about the captaincy and he was assigned the role of a vice-captain, wicketkeeper and a batsman. He performed in all the three aspects. It was the decision of the team management to assign him with that role and he did well.

SW: At present, MS Dhoni is the designated wicket-keeper batsman in the limited overs cricket and if Rishabh is selected. Is he ready to take play as a proper batsman? Is he a good fielder?

TS: Yes. The one T20I he played (against England), he played as a batsman and also took a good catch. Players nowadays pay equal attention in all the departments and in past as well, Rishabh has played as a batsman and has fielded well. Talking of wicket-keeping, he is doing a good job. And after MS Dhoni, he is the claimant for the job of wicket-keeper in the Indian team.

SW: Rishabh is quite an aggressive batsman. Do you tink it will hamper his chances of making it to the Test side?

TS: No, for that, he has to be given chances. You cannot test the capability of a player if not given a chance. I want to tell you that when he scored 300 runs against Maharashtra in Ranji Trophy. No one can play an innings of 300 dealing in boundaries. For scoring a triple century, one has to stay at the crease for long. One has to play more and more balls. This is the biggest example that he can play Test as well.

SW: Before the start of the long home season, was he thinking of making it to the Test side?

TS: Yes but Wriddhiman Saha has been with the team for long now and he is an experienced player. We should not hope for this thing at this stage but yes, we are waiting for the right moment. He is still young and he has age by his side. He will play in all the formats of the game in future.

SW: When Saha got injured ahead of the Mohali Test (vs England), it was Parthiv Patel who was called in the side. Was Rishabh disappointed as he had scored a triple century and also the fastest century in the history of Ranji Trophy just before that?

TS: Yes. But as a coach, I would say that my job is to keep a player motivated. Yes, Parthiv Patel was called in the team. He also performed well. He has been given a number of chances in past as well. He is a senior player, more than MS Dhoni. It’s the decision of team management and selectors to select the team.

Nevertheless, there is nothing to get disappointed in this. He still has age by his side, he is working hard and is doing the job well.

SW: How would you rate his innings of 97 against Gujarat Lions?

TS: It was a good innings. I think he is in good form. I hope that he will play more innings like this in future.

SW: From Sachin Tendulkar to Amitabh Bachchan, everyone lauded Rishabh. How did you react to it?

TS: A good player is lauded by everyone. Surely they would have liked something in Rishabh, that is why they praised him. One is a great cricketer and another one is a legendary actor. They would have spotted something special in him, which would have forced them to praise him.

SW: When Rishabh came to you as a youngster, what was the thing that impressed you?

TS: Right from the start, he was a big hitter. He used to judge the ball quite early and it’s a good habit in any big player. This was the thing that impressed me the most and I worked on him to make him a good cricketer. He has fulfilled our expectations.

SW: He has a bit of different stance. It looks like an aggressive stance and is looking to hit right from the start. Was it right from the start or did you work with him to get it like this?

TS: The stance of a batsman changes according to the situation of the delivery bowled. Like if a slow bowler is bowling at you, you have to stand in a different position and the stance changes when a left-handed bowler is bowling over the wicket. It depends upon the bowler you are playing.

SW: Talking of your other students, Ashish Nehra and Shikhar Dhawan. It is expected that Dhawan will be there in the squad for the Champions Trophy. Are you expecting same for Nehra?

TS: He should definitely be there because the way he bowls in the slog overs, is quite well. The newsboys in the team are still working and developing but Ashish is expert in bowling in those areas. So that’s why he should be there in the squad.

SW: He (Nehra) made a comeback to the team after a period of long five years. What was the key behind this?

TS: The gap between his absence in two international games is enough to tell that how hard he has worked to make a comeback in the Indian team. For a player, it is the fitness that matter the most rather than the age. He has done well.

SW: Dhawan has been given oodles of chances but from past few series, he hadn’t done well for Indian team and got dropped from the side as well. Do you still think that he has a chance of making it to the team?

TS: Dhawan is a senior player. He has done well in past. Still, the Indian team do not have any substitute for him. Yes KL Rahul is in the team but still, Dhawan has that quality to be in the team. He has those rare qualities which are needed in an international player.

SW: With KL Rahul out of the Champions Trophy, the race for the opener of the Indian cricket team is directly between Shikhar Dhawan and Gautam Gambhir. So whom you think will get a nod?

TS: Look, it’s the duty of the selectors to select the team and it is not my job. Gambhir is also a good player but the way Dhawan is playing at the moment, he deserves a chance.

SW: In past few years, Dhawan has been given many chances but his form has not been good. What will be your message to him if he is selected in Champions Trophy?

TS: It’s the part and parcel of the game. Each and every player goes through a rough path. He also underwent that stage. He is in good form at the moment and should get a chance.

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