21-year-old Rishabh Pant from Uttarakhand made an impressive start to his Test career. He debuted for his country in the longest format against England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
For a newcomer his numbers aren’t bad at all. However his performances both as a wicketkeeper and batsman has come under the scanner.
During the England tour, Pant conceded a significant amount of byes. Apart from that during his batting, he was criticized for getting out while indulging in risky shots.
However apart from all these, Pant has hit the headlines for his friendly war of words with the opponents. During the first Test against Australia, Pant was constantly in the ears of Pat Cummins.
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Pant needs to remain careful during keeping
Cricketer turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has advised Pant to concentrate on his keeping. He doesn’t want Pant to get more involved in needless banter. Sanjay believes that needless chirping can divert Pant’s concentration.
He also pointed out the fact how Pant became silent after dropping Shaun Marsh off Hanuma Vihari in the first innings of the ongoing Perth Test.
“In cricket, there has been a tradition… in all team meetings, the wicketkeeper is told to keep encouraging the bowler. The moment he dropped the catch of Shaun Marsh off Hanuma Vihari, suddenly he went quiet for two-three overs.
“That is when he has to be careful. If being quiet is going to help him focus better, then the Indian team would rather have him taking catches than looking to encourage the bowlers all the time or all that banter that goes around,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview with Mid Day.
Recently in Adelaide, Pant became the Indian with the most number of catches (11) in a single Test. Had he not dropped Nathan Lyon, he would have achieved the world record of 12 catches.