Rishabh Pant finally responds to comparisons with MS Dhoni

What's the story?

Young Indian wicket-keeper, Rishabh Pant who has been touted by many as the replacement of MS Dhoni in the Indian side, had received a lot of heat from the fans for his work behind the stumps, in the recently concluded India vs Australia ODI series.

His work behind the stumps was below par which led to a shift of momentum in the final two games of the 5-match series.

In case you didn't know...

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India's first choice wicket-keeper opted for rest ahead of the gruelling IPL season which will be followed by the 2019 ICC World Cup. Rishabh Pant was drafted into the playing XI in Dhoni's place but the southpaw could not match the bar set by MS Dhoni.

Thus, he drew a lot of criticism from the fans for his sloppy work with the gloves. Also, he could score only 51 runs in the 2 matches he donned the Indian jersey against Australia.

The heart of the matter

The 21-year-old today responded to the comparisons, saying:

"I’m not thinking about the comparison too much. As a player, I want to learn from him (Dhoni). I don’t want people to compare but I can’t stop them from doing so. I’m close to him and talk to him about everything how I can improve my game on and off the field."

"I’ve learned lots of things from them (Kohli and Dhoni) like discipline, how to take the pressure, how to learn from other people’s mistakes and implement it on your game. There’s been a lot of learning.”

Bishan Singh Bedi had commented that Pant is a wild horse who needs to be tamed to which Pant replied that he (Pant) is not perfect and that he is learning new skills every day to improve himself.

Pant also mentioned that he does not want people to compare him with Dhoni but at the same time he cannot stop them from doing so.

What's next?

Both Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni will be in action playing for their respective IPL franchises in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League, which starts this Saturday.