IND vs SL: Rishabh Pant Is Such A Blockbuster Player - Parthiv Patel

Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel said Rishabh Pant is the best wicketkeeper to create an impact with his batting performance for the Indian cricket team.

Pant scored the fastest fifty by an Indian batter in Test cricket in the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka.

Rishabh Pant scored 50 off 28 balls against SL in the second Test

Pant brought up his fifty in 28 balls to break former Indian skipper Kapil Dev’s 40-year-old record. Dev had scored his fifty in 30 deliveries against Pakistan in 1982 in Karachi.

The southpaw pummeled seven boundaries and a couple of sixes batting at a strike rate of 161.29. He heaved, drove, slashed, cut, swept, reverse-swept, chopped and did everything under his belt to play his array of strokes against the Sri Lankan bowlers. Pant drove Praveen Jayawickrama for a boundary through extra cover to bring up his fastest fifty.

Three balls after reaching his milestone, Pant returned a catch to Jayawickrama to end his brilliant innings. India’s lead surged up to 446 in the second innings and the hosts look keen to wrap the series on the third day itself.

Rishabh Pant is currently the best wicketkeeper: Parthiv Patel

Parthiv, who played 25 Tests for India, said Pant is a blockbuster player and should be given the leverage to play in his own style.

“Rishabh Pant has consistently improved his wicketkeeping. However, if we talk about pure batting ability, then he is among the top three (among Indian wicketkeepers). But if it is about having an impact on the game, then Rishabh Pant is currently the best wicketkeeper,” Parthiv said on Cricbuzz.

“Rishabh Pant is such a blockbuster player that there will always be a debate on an odd occasion whether there was any need to play that shot. But I think he should be allowed to play his natural game because if you expect him to bat like others then he will no longer be the Rishabh Pant we know,” he added.

India are leading the two-match Test series 1-0 after they won the first Test by an innings and 222 runs against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Mohali.

Also Read: IND vs SL: There Is A Lot Of Method In Rishabh Pant’s Game: Wasim Jaffer