Rishabh Pant’s childhood coach Tarak Sinha has come out in support of 21 years old Indian wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant, who faced severe criticism post the fourth ODI between India and Australia, that the hosts lost. Sinha hit out at the criticism the young wicket-keeper batsman is copping at the moment.
“Such comparisons are cropping up because, like Dhoni, he (Pant) is also a wicketkeeper-batsman. But it’s unfair on him because it puts undue pressure for him to perform in a particular way, and be like Dhoni. He performs the best when his mind is free,” the coach was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
“There’s a difference between the Pant of today and Dhoni 14-years-ago when he was making his way into the Indian team. Back then, he did not come with the kind of baggage like Pant has. There wasn’t any legendary wicketkeeper whom he was replacing. The guys back then were either Dinesh Karthik or Parthiv Patel, players younger to him. So, he (Dhoni) was free from the pressure and expectations that Pant is facing today,” he continued.
“Which keeper in the world hasn’t missed a catch or a stumping? Even Dhoni missed catches and stumpings at the start of his career. The good thing is that the selectors persisted with him and did not drop him after one season. He improved with time to become one of the greats of the game,” added Sinha.
Pant missed two stumping chances in the Mohali ODI but he was impressive with the bat and scored a 24-ball 36. The series-decider between India and Australia will take place on March 13 in Delhi.