The young Indian wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant named MS Dhoni as his favorite batting partner, as the youngster feels that the latter makes easy for him. Pant said when Dhoni is out there as his batting partner, everything seems sorted and that he has to do nothing else but to follow the instructions of MS’ plans. During a recent interaction with Delhi Capitals, Pant expressed the disappointment of getting very limited opportunities to bat with Dhoni.
The youngster explained, “My favorite batting partner is Dhoni but it’s very rare that I get the chance to bat with him. If he’s out there, everything is sorted. He lays out the plan and you just have to follow it. The way his mind works, especially during run-chases, is amazing.”
Pant, who has played 13 Tests, 16 ODIs and 28 T20Is, said he loves to understand the mindset of Indian stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma when batting with them intense situations.
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Rishabh further elaborated, “I enjoy batting with Virat bhai and Rohit bhai. Whenever you are batting with any of these seniors, it’s a different experience altogether. You have fun with them. You realize how their mind works. It’s different chemistry… even with (Shreyas) Iyer and Shiki bhai (Shikhar Dhawan) in the IPL.”
"Mazaa aata hai batting karne mein inn sab ke saath" 🤜🏻🤛🏻@RishabhPant17 discloses the list of batsmen that he loves batting with the most 🗒️#YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/Gr1WpEhvzq
— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from 🏠) (@DelhiCapitals) July 14, 2020
Pant has often been touted as the successor to MS Dhoni but the young wicket-keeper hasn’t managed to impress with his performances in recent times. He lost his place in the T20I side to KL Rahul during India’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year and struggled to make a name for himself in the Tests as well.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals assistant coach, Mohammad Kaif revealed that Rishabh Pant is a free-flowing player and the Indian team needs to find a better position for the young wicket-keeper. Kaif, who was appointed Delhi Capitals assistant coach for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise in 2019, said the team management was able to do what the Indian team hasn’t have been unable to do over the years.
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During a recent chat with Aakash Chopra on his Youtube channel, Kaif said, “Rishabh Pant is a free-flowing player. If you set a number (in the batting order) for him, you help him play with a clear mind. We decided that Pant has to face the last 10 overs, he needs to get 60 balls regardless of his batting position. India is not being able to do this properly. He is a finisher, he is an attacking batsman, He has to be given a role that suits him.”
