Ex-India coach reveals Ashish Nehra’s brutally honest opinion on Rishabh Pant

Former India National Cricket Team batting coach Sanjay Bangar has revealed the Gujarat Titans (GT) head coach Ashish Nehra's views on the wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant when he burst into the scene.

Sanjay Bangar also showered rich praise on the superstar wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and labelled him as a naturally gifted and fearless player.

Rishabh Pant is not a part of India's Asia Cup 2025 squad

Pant is currently recovering from an injury he sustained during the fourth Test of the five-match series against England at Old Trafford in Manchester.

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The wicketkeeper-batsman fractured his foot after a delivery from Chris Woakes hit him brutally, and he was instantly carried off the field on a buggy. Later, the scans revealed severe damag,e and Pant was ruled out of action for the subsequent Test match at Kennington Oval in London.

Meanwhile, he has not been picked in India's squad for the Asia Cup 2025. Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee picked Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma as the two wicketkeeper-batsmen in the 15-man squad and Dhruv Jurel as back-up.

He is a naturally gifted batter - Sanjay Bangar on Rishabh Pant

The former India batting coach revealed that he saw the signs of Pant's fearlessness very early on in his career as the wicketkeeper-batsman used to urge the fast bowler to bowl to him on the bodyline.

Bangar found this practice quite brave and said that Ashish Nehra's assessment about Pant skyrocketing to success turned out to be correct.

"I had heard from Ashish Nehra that Rishabh is a very good player who's going to progress very quickly. He is a naturally gifted batter. But, he's also very fearless. I saw the first sign of his fearlessness in the nets itself.

"He used to tell the bowlers to bowl quickly and attack his body. Very few batters have had this mindset. He had just begun playing the IPL back then. So Nehra's assessment was correct. After a long time, we've found a wicketkeeper who can bat in the top-5," Bangar told via Doordarshan Sports.

Also Read: RCB’s Jacob Bethell creates history with first professional cricket hundred vs South Africa

Why was Rishabh Pant ignored for the Asia Cup 2025?

Although Pant is currently recovering from his injury after scoring 479 runs against England, he wasn't a sure-shot pick in India's Asia Cup 2025 squad even if he was fit.

This is because his numbers in T20 cricket have not been very good in the last few years. In the IPL 2025, he looked awful and scored just 269 runs for LSG, with the best of 118* and at an average of 24.45 and a strike rate of 133.16.

Also, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector Ajit Agarkar, while addressing the press conference, stated that no player had missed out on selection due to injury issues.

Rishabh Pant has been providing regular updates on his recovery via social media posts, but some reports have claimed that the wicketkeeper-batsman might stay on the sidelines for a while and miss out on the home Test series against the West Indies National Cricket Team.