Virat Kohli Urges Fans Not To Chant MS Dhoni's Name If Rishabh Pant Fails To Deliver

Rishabh Pant has been widely tipped to be the next big thing in Indian cricket right from the time he was playing at U19 level. The way he performed in domestic circuit as well as the Indian Premier League, it looked like he would hit the ground running in international cricket. Test centuries in England and Australia further bolstered those hopes as India thought they have finally got a heir to the legendary MS Dhoni.

However, the pressure seems to have got the better of Rishabh Pant in recent times. He has already lost his place in the playing eleven of Tests. In the limited-overs format too, the Delhi starlet has failed to grab his chances. Ever since MS Dhoni went on a sabbatical, Rishabh Pant has been tried out as the specialist wicketkeeper in the team.

But so far, his performance with both bat and wicketkeeping gloves has left a lot to be desired. Rishabh Pant has been facing criticism not only for his low returns with the bat but also the manner in which he has been throwing away his wicket. His struggles behind the stumps as well as DRS have only made things tougher for him.

All eyes will be on him when India take on West Indies in the upcoming T20I series, starting on December 6. Another failure would further pile pressure on the wicketkeeper-batsman who is already under immense pressure to deliver.

Kohli on Rishabh Pant:

As Rishabh Pant gears up to for yet another litmus test in his short career so far, Virat Kohli has urged the fans to rally behind him. The fans have not made things easier for the youngster either. They have not wasted a single opportunity to take shots at Pant. Every time, Pant committed a mistake on the field, the spectators made life difficult for him by chanting MS Dhoni’s name.

Ahead of the first T20I against West Indies, Kohli made it clear that Pant has the backing of the team-management. He then urged the fans to support the youngster, asking them not to shout Dhoni’s name in the stadium whenever Pant does not live up to the expectations.

“We certainly believe in Rishabh’s ability. But I think it’s a collective responsibility of everyone around as well to give that player some space to do well. If he misses a chance, people can’t shout MS’ (Dhoni) name in the stadium as well. It’s not respectful because no player would like that to happen. You are playing in your own country and you should get support rather than always thinking what mistake this guy is gonna make. No one wants to be in that position,” said Kohli.

“As Rohit (Sharma) pointed out this as well, he needs to be left alone. He is a match-winner and once he comes good we will see a a different version of him which we have seen in the IPL where is he free, relaxed and he feels there is a lot more respect coming for his abilities and what he can achieve in the team. He needs to feel that more around him and he can’t be isolated to an extent that he gets nervous on the field. All of us need to make him feel like he belongs and we are all for him rather than against him,” he added.

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