Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that Rishabh Pant is not under any pressure as far as retaining his spot in the T20I squad is concerned. However, the veteran has also said that the wicketkeeper-batter can improve his shot selection in the shortest format of the game.
However, Rishabh Pant, being the India captain, ended the series 2-2 as the final T20I in Bengaluru was called off. But, he had a poor show throughout the series with the bat and he came under the scanner too. He managed just 58 runs in 5 innings in the T20I series as well. Notably, he averages only 23 across 48 matches.
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“I don’t think so. It’s still early days. There are plenty of T20 matches still ahead. There is a T20I series in England, there is a T20I series in West Indies. I don’t think there is going to be any pressure on him. He is not the kind of character who takes pressure, he goes out and enjoys his cricket. And that’s the mindset that has brought him success,” Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.
“I will wait as there are still plenty of T20 matches before the World Cup. We can wait and then look at the form. We can decide anything but it’s up to the selectors to take the final call,” he further added.
Meanwhile, Gavaskar lauded his captaincy, saying that Rishabh Pant learned from mistakes quickly. His bowling changes were questioned in the first 2 games which India lost but he made most of the right calls as India bounced back to make it 2-2 and the series eventually ended in a draw as well.
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“Very impressive, especially with the way he picked up from the first two matches where we felt it was not the right way to go as far as bowling changes are concerned. Clearly, he has learnt from the mistakes and rectified it. He has kept his cool. It’s not easy being a wicketkeeper and a captain. It’s a very tricky position to be in. He is learning and learning fast,” he concluded.
Rishabh Pant will not play in India’s T20I series in Ireland as he will join the Test team in London for the one-off Test against England, starting July 1.
