Vikram Rathour Reveals Where Rishabh Pant Stands In The Current Scheme Of Things

With MS Dhoni’s exit days from international cricket nearing soon, it hasn’t been smooth-sailing for the selectors in finding a suitable candidate behind the stumps. While Rishabh Pant emerged as the strongest contender to succeed the 38-year old, his mixed outings with the bat and gloves have put him out of the radar for the time being. Meanwhile, team India batting coach Vikram Rathour disclosed Rishabh Pant’s position in the present scheme of things.

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While Rishabh Pant’s Test career began more than promisingly, the 22-year old struggled in limited-overs cricket. Pant featured in every white-ball game for the national team from July to December 2019 without making any eye-catching contribution with the bat. The youngster struck several reckless strokes for which head coach Ravi Shastri reprimanded him.

Following an injury in the first ODI against Australia this year, he missed the second. KL Rahul took over the keeping gloves while also making notable contributions with the bat. While Rishabh Pant was declared fit again, the selectors decided to stick with KL Rahul, who repaid their faith with an impressive show in New Zealand. The right-handed batsman scored 224 in five T20Is and followed it with 204 in three ODIs.

Rishabh Pant still has the backing of the team management and we believe he is a special player: Vikram Rathour

Vikram Rathour conceded that the left-handed batsman has plenty of potential under his belt and would be a massive part of the national team once he finds his form. Yet, Rathour admitted that 2019 was a year to forget for Pant. The 51-year old went on to state that finding a candidate, who is at par with MS Dhoni was never going to be easy; however, he believes that Pant would come back strong from his failures.

“He (Rishabh Pant) hasn’t had a great last year and hasn’t done too well in international cricket. He still has the backing of the team management and we believe he is a special player. He can still bring a lot to the Indian cricket team once he starts scoring.

MS Dhoni is still around, we don’t know what is happening with him, but replacing someone like him is not and was never going to be easy, with the kind of stature he had in international cricket. Pant has had a few failures so he has been under pressure to perform, but something like this makes you a stronger and better player,” the former Indian cricketer said as quoted by Times Now.

As far as Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s case goes, the former captain has not featured in any competitive match since the 2019 World Cup semi-final. The 2020 edition of IPL could have been a significant step for pressing his case for the 2020 T20 World Cup. However, the COVID-19 crisis has put everything under halt and uncertain.

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