IPL: Rishabh Pant reveals MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist's influence on career

IPL outfit Delhi Capitals' wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant spoke about MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist's influence on his cricketing career. He also revealed the constant guidance given to him by past and present superstars of Indian cricket such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh.

In a live Instagram chat with the official handle of the IPL side, Pant spoke on several topics including the lessons he learnt from his childhood idol Adam Gilchrist and senior members of the Indian team. He explained why aspiring cricketers should always 'learn' from their idols and not 'copy' them blindly.

He explained how MS Dhoni's innovative thinking in the IPL and on the international stage helped him understand the evolving nature of the game.

"It fills me with pride, sometimes, looking at where my cricketing journey started. One thing I have learnt is that we need to learn from our idols and not just copy them. Create your own identity and keep the focus. I was a huge fan of Adam Gilchrist but since the game constantly evolves, I started following MS Dhoni as well. He brought innovations to the game... Later on, in my career, I was helped a lot by Yuvraj Singh," Pant said.

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Rishabh Pant was praised by Ponting for his IPL heroics

Rishabh Pant's exhilarating stroke-play in IPL and Test cricket earned a high-profile admirer in Ricky Ponting

Rishabh Pant has excelled under the tutelage of Ricky Ponting in the IPL. The Indian cricket team wicket-keeper credited the latter for giving him the freedom to perform, both with the bat and behind the stumps.

"He gives me the freedom to play," Pant commented.

In January 2019, Pant was praised for his aggressive style of play by Ricky Ponting. The former Australia captain had even likened Rishabh Pant to Adam Gilchrist, stating that the Indian had the potential to overtake MS Dhoni, with regards to the number of Test centuries.

On the international front though, Rishabh Pant has found it hard to translate his IPL form and was recently usurped by KL Rahul in the Indian limited-overs side. Thus, it would be interesting to see how the Delhi Capitals batsman performs once cricket resumes and if he starts unlocking the vast potential he boasts.

Rishabh Pant has been one of the main batters for Delhi Capitals in IPL