Conditions ripe for Rishabh Pant to succeed in Australia

There’s no denying the fact that Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen in the world. Throughout his career, he has guided the Indian team to claim titles in all formats of the game. While there’s none like Dhoni, it is time for the Indian team to find a perfect replacement for him across all three formats.

With Dhoni's Test retirement and Wriddhiman Saha's injury, it is the right time for Rishabh to prove himself as a wicket-keeper. While his batting skills are unquestionable, it is his wicket-keeping skills that he needs to improve on.

After a poor glove work against England this year, Pant scored a dazzling 114 in the final Test, thus becoming the first ever Indian wicket-keeper to score a century in England by surpassing the previous record of 92 by Dhoni. Known for his maturity at a very young age, the 21-year old has proved himself to be worthy. With an experienced wicket-keeper like Dinesh Karthik in the side, it is going to be a tough road for him to establish himself.

But with Karthik left out of the Indian squad against Australia, it is time for Pant to show the world that he is the perfect one to fit in Dhoni’s shoes. Though the experienced Parthiv Patel has also been included in the Test squad, cricket fans are eagerly waiting to see how the youngster uses this opportunity when he is given the chance.

Comparisons to Dhoni

Comparisons always make the headlines. While Pant would be judged and compared for his wicket keeping skills to Dhoni’s, the journey ahead is going to be rough for him. He has a remarkable IPL record and his knock of 128* off 63 balls for Delhi Daredevils against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL this year remains one of his best innings. But the real question is – is he the replacement for MS Dhoni?

While many experts believe that his aggressive style of playing the shots might cause trouble, he is India’s best bet in the upcoming series against Australia. After Australia’s 1-2 defeat against South Africa in the ODI series this month, India clearly has an upper hand over the Aussies. Rishabh Pant’s destructive style of play is sure to trouble the Aussie pacers and India is counting on him to deliver his best.