Rishabh Pant Will Need To Work Hard On His Keeping – Ravi Shastri
Jan 24, 2020 at 10:02 PM
India’s rookie keeper-bat Rishabh Pant has been under the scanner in the recent past. Pant earlier lost his Test spot to Wriddhiman Saha and now lost his limited-overs place to KL Rahul. India’s head coach Ravi Shastri believes Pant will need to work hard on his keeping to be a regular in the side. Shastri also feels Pant is not natural when it comes to keeping.
Meanwhile, Rahul was able to grab his chance after Rishabh Pant was hit on the head by a bumper from Pat Cummins in the first ODI at Mumbai. Pant was ruled out of the second ODI and he was not selected in the third despite been fit as Rahul had scored a match-winning 52-ball 80 in the second match. Consequently, Indian captain, Virat Kohli made it clear the KL Rahul will be the first choice keeper in both the white-ball formats.
Pant is out of the playing XI.
On the other hand, Pant has been under the cosh as he fluffed some crucial chances behind the wickets. Thus, Shastri believes the greenhorn cricketer will need to pull up the socks.
“He has to work really hard on his wicketkeeping,” Shastri told The Hindu during an interview.
“He is not a natural ‘keeper but he’s got all that talent which will go to waste if he doesn’t work on his keeping. I think he has realized that and if you see him now, he is working extremely hard on his ‘keeping as well,” he added.
It is also noticed that Pant has fallen prey to some bad shot-making which has made his case worse. Shastri believes Pant will need to find the balance between been aggressive and playing sensible shots at the same time.
I would not like to change his game – Shastri.
“I would not like to change his game for anything. We tell him to try and understand his game, be selective in shot-making, see what the team demands are, assess the state of the game, figure out a way of how he can play — by still being aggressive but by taking calculated risks,” said Shastri.
Shastri added Pant will need to be smart in his shot-making as he is an aggressive player. The team management has backed Pant to the hilt and he will need to wait for his chance now.
“He has a reputation of being a devastating player, big hitter. That is what he has to get used to.”
“Every time he comes to bat, the crowd expects sixes off everything. This is where he has to manage his game properly,” he added.
Pant will need to wait for his chances now as Rahul has grabbed his opportunities. The second T20I will take place at Eden Park, Auckland on 26th January.