Rishabh Pant Needs To Be Really Looked After By His Teammates: Suresh Raina

Rishabh Pant, the swashbuckling Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, has a quality future but he needs to be backed by his teammates, feels 2011 World Cup-winner Suresh Raina.

Pant, who shot into reckoning courtesy his exploits for both India A and U-19 and Delhi Capitals, has had a roller-coaster ride in international cricket thus far.

While he had a great start to his Test career in 2018-19 where he became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score hundreds in England and Australia, the southpaw has failed to grab his chances in white-ball cricket, so much so that by the end of the 2019-20 season, he had lost his first-choice wicketkeeper’s slot to KL Rahul.

But Raina, who hailed Pants achievements thus far, feels that the 21-year-old is a gun player, adding that he needs to be ‘really looked after’ by his teammates.

“I think Rishabh Pant has been amazing. He has scored a lot of runs for the country as well as in the IPL and in domestic cricket. He has got two Test hundreds. He played really well in T20s as well as ODIs.” Suresh Raina said on ‘Cricket Connected’.

“I think he is a gun player, he has a quality future. He needs to be really looked after by his teammates. And then you will see lot of great performances coming from him very soon.” he added.

Also Read: Suresh Raina Thanks ‘Guiding Force’ MS Dhoni For Sticking With Him In His ‘Hardest Times’

‘Rishabh Pant has been hitting the ball very well in the nets’- Suresh Raina

Raina is well and truly gearing up for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The southpaw has been sweating it out in the nets alongside Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, and Piyush Chawla.

“I have been practicing with Rishabh Pant. He was hitting the ball very well. Then I had a net with Shami. All bowlers have been coming here and practicing. Piyush Chawla also came, he bowled really well.” Raina added.

The second-highest run-scorer in the history of the IPL, Suresh Raina recently completed 15 years in international cricket. The Uttar Pradesh cricketer went to thank his first captain Rahul Dravid for the support that he received in his maiden series [vs Sri Lanka in 2005].

“When I played my first game, it made me believe that I can play for a long period of time. Rahul Dravid was my first captain, he really supported me. I was very fortunate to play with him and I played under him.” he added.

Also Read: Not Virat Kohli As Suresh Raina Names ‘Next MS Dhoni Of Team India’ In Terms Of Captaincy