On Monday, chief selector MSK Prasad said that a specialist will be employed to help Rishabh Pant to improve his wicket-keeping skills. It was not too long ago that Pant had worked under former India keeper Kiran More to improve his glove-work. The 22-year-old faced criticisms by fans for his poor work in the third and final One-day International against the West Indies in Cuttack on Sunday.

“Pant needs to improve his keeping skills. We will have him work under a specialist wicket-keeping coach,” MSK Prasad told reporters here after the Indian team selection for the upcoming limited overs series against Sri Lanka and Australia.

While he has received a lot of backing from the team management, it’s now the time that Rishabh Pant needs special attention. He has been going through a rough patch for a long time and everyone slammed him as well. Crowds chanted MS Dhoni’s name when he had an ordinary show behind the stumps in the recently-concluded series against Bangladesh and the West Indies. However, he got support from the legend Brian Lara.

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“As a 21 (22) year-old, Rishabh Pant has a lot of unnecessary pressure. When I was 21, I did not have that much pressure. I was sitting down on the bench… you know… cleaning Sir Vivian Richards’s boots or doing something… getting ready to play international cricket,” Lara had said. “I think the burden is unnecessary. He should be allowed to play and allowed to express himself. Don’t feel it’s a do-or-die situation.”

Moreover, captain Virat Kohli had said it was disrespectful to see the crowd chanting Dhoni’s name instead of Rishabh Pant. Even the BCCI President and former captain Sourav Ganguly firmly backed the youngster, saying the wicketkeeper-batsman is a “superb player” who would mature slowly. Even More had said Pant should not be compared with MS Dhoni or Wriddhiman Saha.