India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has once again come in the limelight because of his poor form both with the bat and the keeping gloves. However, former Australian player Brad Haddin has advised him to “be himself” rather than emulating someone else. Even though Pant scored Test hundreds on his tours to Australia and England, his batting since then has failed to keep up the expectations for everyone.
In the recent Tests against New Zealand, he once again has seen struggling with the bat, scoring just 60 runs in 4 innings. Haddin, on the other hand, thinks that expectations from Pant and comparison with veteran MS Dhoni is perhaps effecting the youngster in his game.
“Rishabh Pant should be him. That’s how he’s going to create his identity. He’s got to be himself,” Haddin told Sportstar in a recent interaction. “Expectation comes with anyone at this level and that’s one of the things you’ve got to deal with. But the most important thing is to create your own identity of what you want to be seen as.”
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Haddin was in Mumbai last week for the Road Safety World Series, which was eventually cancelled due to the novel COVID-19 pandemic. However, Brad Haddin further gave his own example and said when he came into the team he also faced this as he had to fill the place of legendary Adam Gilchrist.
“You bring your own style to the team. When I first got my opportunity to play Test cricket, I couldn’t try to be an Adam Gilchrist or Ian Healy. I had to bring my own unique style to the game. One of the challenges here is not trying to be someone you’re not and just be true to yourself,” Haddin shared.
Haddin, while giving the credit to Dhoni with leaving a “great legacy” to the game also praised Rishabh Pant and others to carry their own legacies in the game of cricket.
“India have been blessed for the last 10 years to have a superstar of the game in M. S. Dhoni. So, it’s important whoever takes over from that role creates their own identity. Dhoni has left a great legacy to the game. He’s left a great legacy for Indian cricket, but the next one involved, it’s up to them to put their own style to the game and their identity what they want to create as an Indian keeper,” concluded Haddin.
