Rishabh Pant, one of India’s brightest prospects and touted as MS Dhoni’s successor behind the stumps, said he’s not too fussed about the pressure, but admitted his task won’t be easy.
Pant, whose exclusion from the original World Cup squad had caused plenty of talk, eventually made it to India’s 15-member contingent after Shikhar Dhawan was sidelined with an injury. He scored 116 runs from four innings, but failed to produce a performance that lived up to his reputation of being a no-holds-barred hitter.
With Dhoni unavailable for India’s upcoming tour to West Indies, the expectation on Pant has only increased. It’s an opportunity to establish himself as a mainstay, but Pant is aware of the scale of the task. “I know those are big shoes to fill, but if I start thinking about it, there will be a problem,” he told Hindustan Times.
“I think he learnt the art of pacing his innings at Sydney.”
Ajay Ratra, the only Indian keeper to make a Test hundred outside India at a younger age than Rishabh Pant, tells @KislayaS why the Sydney Test could be a turning point for the youngster.https://t.co/pw7LFr6Wmd
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 6, 2019
“Right now, I am not thinking about what people say. I am just focusing on what I have to do. I just want to do well for my country. That’s the only thing I am focusing on. I take the challenge positively.”
Pant occupied the crucial No.4 position at the World Cup, but failed to convert his promising starts. However, he said he relished the opportunity to bat at two-down. “I loved batting at No.4,” he said. “It was nothing new for me as I have played at No.4 before, like in the IPL. I had been practising for the same role.
“There is no specific way or style I play in. I always play according to situation. I don’t know what people say, because I don’t read newspapers much. The only thing I am focusing on is that I have to play according to the situation, see what the team needs from me and how I can make the team win.”
