Team India fielding coach R Sridhar heaped huge praise on flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and called him one of the most fearless cricketers in the world right now. Pant silenced his critics with the impressive show during the Australia tour as the southpaw played a crucial role in the 2-1 series win Down Under.
Pant played a crucial knock of 97 runs in the second innings of the Sydney Test as India managed to draw the match. While the southpaw slammed unbeaten 89 runs in the second innings of the Brisbane Test which helped India to breach Australia’s fortress – The Gabba and scripted a historic Test series win. Pant top-scored for India in the four-Test series in Australia with 274 runs despite not being picked for the opening game in Adelaide. He averaged over 68 and scored 2 half-centuries in the final two Tests to end up as the third-highest scorer behind Marnus Labuschagne (426) and Steve Smith (313).
The 23-year-old has often been criticized for his wicketkeeping abilities but Sridhar feels Pant is a work in progress and is trying hard to improve his skills.
“There have been occasions on this tour where he sacrificed his batting to work an extra half an hour or one hour on his wicketkeeping. So, that’s great news for everybody who wants to know. He is a work in progress,” Sridhar said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.
Sridhar further lavished huge praise on Pant’s batting and said he can give you moments that take your breath away.
“What you see is what you get with Rishabh. He can give you heart attacks; he can give you heartaches; he can give you heart breaks, but he can also give you moments that take your breath away.”
