What’s the story?
Young sensation Rishabh Pant has earned his maiden call-up to the Indian Team for the upcoming T20 series against England. Pant who had a sterling Ranji season, was always knocking at the doors of the National selectors and his performances proved too hard for the selectors to ignore.
He has been roped in as the second wicket-keeper in the squad which will be led by Virat Kohli.
In case you didn’t know...
The Delhi-lad carried in from his promise displayed in the Indian Premier League and took to first-class cricket much like a duck takes to water. In 8 matches this season, he smashed 972 runs with an astounding strike-rate of 107 and with an average of 81. He also scored 4 centuries which included a sensational triple ton.
His ability to go after the bowlers set him apart and forced the selectors to sit up and take notice. MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors made it clear that they hope Pant develops into a fine prospect who could go on to replace MS Dhoni in the longer run.
The heart of the matter
With Dhoni stepping down from captaincy, the selectors are now looking at the future and Rishabh Pant fits the bill perfectly. The man himself exudes a lot of confidence and this is reflected in his game.
Pant who has impressed one and all with his flamboyance and temperament is being earmarked for greater things in the future, and he believes that there is a lot to learn yet.
“I am trying to learn from Dhoni bhai (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) since a long time, but time never came, because he was different (in different teams). Now since the opportunity has come, I will get to learn a lot of wicket-keeping (from him) and he will make the mindset good,” he was as quoted by PTI.
The Delhi-lad who shot into prominence during the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh also attributes his success to Rahul Dravid. He said that he learnt discipline from his U-19 coach and this has helped him immensely.
What next?
There is no denying the fact that the prowess of MS Dhoni as a limited overs batsman has seen a gradual decline over the past couple of years. However, now he is without the burden of captaincy, and how this would effect him would be interesting to watch.
However, the selectors see this opportunity to rope in and blood a young wicket-keeper who is an attacking prospect and they hope that under the guidance of Dhoni, Pant can do justice to his unbridled potential.
Sportskeeda’s Take
These are indeed exciting times for Indian cricket, and the teams selected have a great mix of youth and experience, and this poses a sweet headache to the management.
However, the young players who have come in have displayed immense talent, and it would be interesting to see their progress at the highest level.
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