Gautam Gambhir unhappy with Indian team's treatment of Rishabh Pant

What's the story?

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir expressed his disappointment regarding the treatment of young wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant. He said that the management needs to support and motivate the youngster.

In case you didn't know...

Rishabh Pant's performances have recently come under the scanner due to his failure to get big scores for his team consistently. Since the World Cup 2019, he has only managed to get 151 runs at an average of 19 across all formats.

Recently appointed batting coach Vikram Rathour spoke on this matter in a press conference and said that Pant needs to bring a little discipline in his game. Head coach, Ravi Shastri too stated his frustration and said that there will be a 'rap on the knuckles' if the youngster continues to play the same way.

The heart of the matter

In his column for Times of India, Gautam Gambhir came in support of out of form Rishabh Pant and criticized the whole 'fearless vs careless' debate by saying that it is not a way to handle young players.

Personally, I have always backed Sanju Samson ahead of Rishabh for wicketkeeper-batsman's role but it is disappointing to see the team-management using words like 'from fearless to careless', 'rap on Rishbah's knuckles' and 'need for a backup of Rishabh. Everyone wants him to play 'sensible' cricket. I don't know what that means.

"I don't know what that means. What I do know is that the boy is now playing for survival rather than scoring runs. From the outside it seems that his mindset is all over the place. Someone needs to put an arm around his shoulder and tell him that he is wanted in the team

What's next?

Rishabh Pant is going to be part of the upcoming three-match home Test series against South Africa, which will begin on October 2 in Vishakapatnam. Along with him, Wriddhiman Saha in the squad for the series.

Also see – World Test Championship Schedule 2019