Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta applauded Rishabh Pant for his game-changing knock in the second innings of the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle as well. Dasgupta called Rishabh Pant as valuable as any player
in the Indian Test team despite his high-risk batting approach as well. However, he scored a blistering 66 off 69 balls on the fourth day to help India set Sri Lanka a massive target of 372.

Praising Pant, Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel, “It’s when you are in a spot of bother that Rishabh becomes valuable. Of course, a team shouldn’t have 11 Rishabh Pants as that won’t work either. The Indian team should look at it like a financial portfolio where you have certain high-risk options, some fixed deposits, and other safe investments. Much like how a KL Rahul-type player and a Yashasvi Jaiswal-type player is important to a team, a Pant-type player is just as important.”

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“My first thought as I watched Rishabh Pant was that he should be left alone. He is a maverick and a maverick has to be handled differently from the others. I am not saying he should get preferential treatment, but his methods are different from the rest and that must be considered when assessing him. He is a proven match-winner in this format. It’s because of his 66 that India has reached such a solid position in this game,” he stated.

Deep Dasgupta also urged Rishabh Pant’s critics to leave him, irrespective of the outcome of his shots in the Test format. Despite his all-out attacking style, Pant has been a consistent performer for India in the red-ball format over the years as well.

“Rishabh’s value gets heightened more in such matches when there is some trouble. His knock singlehandedly made this into a one-sided affair. Though he won’t win the Player of the Match award, he played a match-winning knock. This is why he should be left alone and not be praised or slammed based on the outcome of his shots. He is a very smart cricketing brain, so there is a method behind his madness. Only he knows that method and can execute it like very few can,” Deep Dasgupta concluded.