Saba Karim Defends Rishabh Pant's Keeping; Says MS Dhoni's Wicketkeeping Was Also 'Not Up To The Mark' When He Started

Former Indian stumper Saba Karim feels that the fans, as well as pundits, have been extremely harsh in judging Rishabh Pant’s wicketkeeping skills.

Hailed as a natural successor to the champion MS Dhoni, Pant’s wicketkeeping skills- especially against spinners- have always been under the scanner with every catch that he drops or every stumping opportunity that he misses being dissected to the hilt, especially on social media.

However, Karim believes that wicketkeeping is a skill that one acquires as he grows in confidence.

Rishabh Pant was outstanding with the bat in the recently concluded Test series against Australia. His 97 in Sydney and an unbeaten 89 at the Gabba will go down in history as two of the greatest 4th innings knocks played by an India.

Saba Karim believes that as Pant cements his place in the side through his batting exploits, he will ultimately gain confidence and his keeping skills will improve.

“We, at times, are very harsh in assessing Rishabh Pant’s keeping. It’s a skill you acquire as you grow in confidence. Wicketkeeping is all about confidence, and the best part about Rishabh Pant is that it’s his batting ability that will help him grow as a wicketkeeper.” Saba Karim told Sportskeeda.

Drawing a parallel to further explain his point on Rishabh Pant, Saba Karim went on to give the example of the legendary MS Dhoni

According to Saba Karim, when MS Dhoni first burst on the scene, his wicketkeeping skills weren’t also up to the mark.

He added that as Dhoni cemented his place in the side courtesy of his swashbuckling batting, his confidence grew and ultimately it led to him becoming one of the finest to stand behind the stumps.

“When MS Dhoni first came into the Indian team as a wicketkeeper-batsman, his keeping ability was not up to the mark. It was his batting that benefitted his keeping. Once he cemented his place in the side through his batting exploits, he realized that he could improve his keeping skills,” Saba Karim added.

While admitting that Rishabh Pant needs to improve his keeping skills against the spinners, especially on spin-conducive tracks, Saba Karim urged everyone to keep some patience give the southpaw some time to evolve.

“If you are batting well, it will help your wicketkeeping. They complement each other. In days to come, we will see the same with Rishabh Pant too. Having said so, he needs to work more on his technique, especially against spinners. R Sridhar is quite an accomplished coach, and I am sure he must be working closely with Pant. We need to give him some time.” he added.

Also Read: Where Else Will He Learn?: Saba Karim Reckons Rishabh Pant Should Be Allowed To Keep In Home Tests