Koi Bhi Use Mandir Ka Ghanta Samajhke Bajake Chale Jara Tha: Suresh Raina On Rishabh Pant

Former India player and Chennai Super kings star Suresh Raina has backed Rishabh Pant and defended the Delhi Capitals’ captain ahead of the IPL 2021 edition. Raina recalled the tough times Rishabh Pant had after the 2019 World Cup when he took over from MS Dhoni.

Rishabh Pant had failed to live up to the expectations of the Indian fans, who couldn’t digest that MS Dhoni had played his last game for India in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup and had moved away for Rishabh Pant to make the keeper-batsman spot his own.

However, poor keeping skills, fitness issues, and inconsistent batting led to India dropping Rishabh Pant at the start of the 2020 season and asking KL Rahul to keep wickets and bat in the middle order. However, Pant made a scintillating comeback thanks to IPL 2020 and then leading India to the Test series win in Australia and then dominating England across all formats at home.

Rishabh Pant Is Here To Stay For 10 To 15 Years: Suresh Raina

Rishabh Pant’s DC will clash with Suresh Raina’s CSK on April 10 in Mumbai in the second match of the upcoming IPL 2021 edition. This will be the first time Pant will be captaining a team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), while Suresh Raina returns to the IPL fold after missing the IPL 2020 due to personal reasons.

“Koi bhi use mandir ka ghanta samajhke bajake chale jara tha, (everyone was criticising him).” First, since the Australia tour he has looked like scoring big in every innings. Against Jack Leach it felt like he would hit a six off every ball. For a stroke player like him, you need to give him the license to hit. Sometimes, when he gets out playing the big shots, you need to support him,” Raina said about Pant in an interview with Hindustan Times.

“Like what Brian Lara used to say. When the time is good such players score a lot of runs but when it’s a tough time those runs should be a reminder of the player’s ability. He needs to be backed and Virat is doing it. Pant is here to stay for 10 to 15 years,” he added.

Delhi Capitals finished runners up in the IPL 2020, while Chennai Super Kings finished 6^th in the points table, the first time they didn’t manage to qualify for the playoffs of the Indian Premier League.

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