ICC World Cup 2019: R Sridhar Believes Rishabh Pant as an Outfielder is Still a Work in Progress

Jul 4, 2019 at 2:12 PM

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ICC World Cup 2019: R Sridhar Believes Rishabh Pant as an Outfielder is Still a Work in Progress

Following a 28-run win over Bangladesh at Edgbaston, Team India has become the second team in the ten-nation ICC World Cup 2019, to qualify for the semi-finals in the United Kingdom (UK). However, Tuesday’s (July 2) game has given the Men in Blue a fair idea of what they need to do to iron out the flaws ahead of the crucial knockout stage fixtures.

Meanwhile, fielding coach believes Rishabh Pant needs to work on his fielding to play a quintessential role. Sridhar himself observed a couple of fielding lapses from the exciting batsman Pant, who batted for India at No. 4 against England as well.

Sridhar admits the fact that Pant has to work on the field to improve as an outfielder, which eventually plays a big part in the crunch situations of the game. He conceded that Pant needs to show athleticism in a bid to help bowlers cause in the impending games.

Known for his role as a wicketkeeper-batsman, Pant had donned the gloves for a brief moment against Bangladesh in Birmingham when MS Dhoni was unavailable.

Pant needs to put more effort into his fielding:

Rishabh Pant
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

However, another wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik was patrolling the boundary ropes who’s an athletic on the field.

“Obviously, Dinesh despite being a wicketkeeper is a good outfielder. He pulls off some good saves at backward point. Rishabh is developing and he needs to do this a bit more to develop the awareness, to get a hang of it. That’s why we harp about getting fielders in the same positions so that they get an idea,” Sridhar stated.

Also, Sridhar cited that Pant needs to brush up his throwing technique, which could be decisive in close encounters.

“A lot of work has to go into him (Pant). First of all, he needs to improve his technique in throwing and also needs to be a little more athletic to be an outfielder,” Sridhar told reporters at Edgbaston.

Right fielding positions for Rishabh Pant:

R Sridhar, ICC World Cup 2019
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

The former first-class cricketer Sridhar also acknowledged Pant’s efforts in the field during England clash which also put an end to India’s winning streak at the ongoing World Cup. He reiterated that skipper Virat Kohli and Dhoni had suggested him specific positions for the field.

“We have to use him in appropriate (fielding) positions, that is what Virat and MS are keen on. Keep him at the right places at the right time. In the last game (vs England), he saved at least five runs which is a huge bonus. He took a catch as well,” Sridhar added.

During his assessment for the Edgbaston stadium, Sridhar believes it’s important you know angles well. He considers the game awareness plays a vital role while added Edgbaston has a fast outfield like Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

“This is all about awareness just like you saw in the last game against England. This ground is a bit like Eden Gardens. Once you are beaten, there’s no way that you can chase it. There is no point running around towards the boundary line,” Sridhar concluded.

Batting first, India post 314 runs for nine in 50 overs which saw a brilliant hundred from Rohit Sharma. On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman bagged a five-wicket haul to pull things back a bit for Bangladesh.

In response, Bangladesh put up a good fight, but wickets kept tumbling. They managed 287 in 48 overs with the help of the fifties each from Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Saifuddin, who remained not out on 51 off 38 deliveries. For India, Jasprit Bumrah clinched three wickets, whereas, Hardik Pandya bagged three crucial scalps.

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