Team India fielding coach R Sridhar in a recent interview revealed the name of the player who can give you heart attacks on the field. He also explained the madness behind his game and why he is such an exciting player to watch in world cricket right now. He is none other than our young wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant.
The young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant of the Indian cricket team is now preparing for the Test series against England after a successful tour to Australia. He has been named in the squad of Team India for the first two Tests against the Englishmen.
Prior to the four-match Test series against England, Team India’s fielding coach R Sridhar praised Rishabh Pant and said that he is one of the most fearless cricketers right now. Speaking on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected, he revealed that there have been occasions on Australia tour when Rishabh Pant has sacrificed his batting to work for half or an hour on his wicketkeeping.
“What you see is what you get with Rishabh. He can give you heart attacks; he can give you heart aches; he can give you heart breaks, but he can also give you moments that take your breath away,” Sridhar said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.
Sridhar though did admit that Pant is still learning the tricks of the trade and working very hard towards improving his wicketkeeping in red-ball cricket.
“There have been occasions on this tour where he sacrificed his batting to work an extra half an hour or one hour on his wicketkeeping. So, that’s great news for everybody who wants to know. He is a work in progress.”
He claims being a left-hander Pant adds a lot of variation in Team India’s middle-order which is mostly filled by right-handed batsmen.
“He is a great package, probably one of the most explosive cricketers and one of the most fearless cricketers going around. Plus, he is a left-hander, so that adds a lot of variation in the middle order. So, all in all, Rishabh Pant as a package is extremely exciting,” the fielding coach said.
Rishabh Pant’s wicket-keeping skills have been constantly questioned and his wicket-keeping, especially in India, has not been very impressive so far. Pant will be eager to silence his critics who have time and again doubted his keeping skills, especially for the spinners at home. A few more consistent performances will help him go a long way and cement his spot once and for all in the longest format of the game. The 23-year-old swashbuckling left-hander had made his Test debut versus England in the 2018 tour and already has a hundred against Joe Root-led side.