NEW DELHI: Chief selector MSK Prasad feels the struggling Rishabh Pant is putting himself under undue pressure by trying to prove himself as the rightful heir to the great M S Dhoni and he should rather back his “unbelievable talent” to bounce back.
Not so long ago, Pant was India’s number one wicketkeeper batsman in all three formats but has endured an erratic run of form for some time now.
With Wriddhiman Saha back in the team, he has now lost his place in the Test eleven and his place in the limited-overs format has also been questioned for lack of runs and his poor work with the gloves.
However, the team management and selectors continue to back him. Rohit Sharma even urged his critics to leave him alone and let him play with freedom while the legendary Sunil Gavaskar says pressure is bound to be there when one is playing for India.
“I agree with the both the versions of Rohit and Sunny sir. Rishabh is going through a bit of rough period. He needs a couple of good knocks that can bring him back to his best. I had a discussion with the team management on this and they said that they are seriously working on him to bring him back to his best,” Prasad, who is nearing the end of his term, told reporters.
“With regard to the point raised regarding pressure, Rishabh should definitely realise that pressure is part of this game at this level and the one who comes out of this pressure is a true champion. He has live examples in front of him in Virat and Rohit.”
Prasad, who was appointed as the selection committee chief in 2016, said Pant should never try to fill Dhoni’s big boots.
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