Rishabh Pant had a miserable outing in terms of wicket-keeping in the third ODI between India and Australia. The youngster not only dropped catches but also missed a crucial stumping of Ashton Turner, who led Australia to victory.
The fans at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium were not amused by Pant’s glovework and they chanted Dhoni Dhoni to remind him of his role. During the 44th over of the Australia innings, Pant missed a straight forward stumping chance to dismiss Turner, who was on 38 at that moment.
He also tried to emulate MS Dhoni by flicking the ball towards the stumps to run Alex Carey out but missed the target and even conceded an extra run.
Pant also forced Virat Kohli to opt for a review against Turner but the on-filed decision was upheld by the third umpire.
Pant’s teammate Shikhar Dhawan has backed the young Indian star, saying it’s unfair to compare him to legendary player MS Dhoni and he should give more time to prove himself in international cricket.
“Rishabh is a young bloke and like any other youngster, you have to give time to him. Rishabh is still finding his feet. You cannot compare Pant to Dhoni [bhai], given the experience he has having played over the years,” Dhawan told the media in Mohali.
He added: “Of course, had the stumping chance been taken, it could have turned the game. Having said that, the game slipped away from our hands quite quickly after that. The dew also played its part in the game. But that’s what it is.”