Yuvraj Singh has urged India’s management to support wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant through the criticism surrounding him, instead of ‘shouting at’ or ‘suppressing’ him for his failures.
“Somebody needs to get the best out of him,” Yuvraj told NDTV. “How you get the best out of him is completely based on his character. You have to understand his character, you have to understand his psychology, and you have to work like that. If you’re going to suppress him, you’re not going to get the best out of him.”
The 21-year-old Pant is India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in Tests, and is currently donning the role in limited-overs cricket through MS Dhoni’s absence. Having made a telling impact in domestic cricket, Pant was given a go at the international level in 2017, and impressed with two Test hundreds. However, he has since been criticised for throwing away starts with the bat. He managed just one fifty-plus score in nine innings, across formats, on India’s tour to the US and the Caribbean, following it up with 4 and 19 in the two T20Is against South Africa.
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Pant has been often admonished by several ex-cricketers for his poor shot selection[/caption]
In a recent interview, India coach Ravi Shastri had said that Pant needs a “rap on his knuckles”, while batting coach Vikram Rathour had deemed his gameplay “careless”. Yuvraj, however, pointed to Pant’s Test tons in Australia and England, insisting that the stick might need to be put away and his talent ‘read’ properly.
“That guy has got two away Test hundreds. He has a lot of potential. He is an outstanding talent. Someone should know how to read him, how to encourage him, point him [towards] what he needs to focus on.
“At the moment, the thing is in IPL, the young guys are getting a lot of money. So somebody needs to tell them how to go about their business and tell them what is their priority. Somebody really needs to talk to them,” he added.
"You need to figure out who are the people who have the mentality, the mindset, and the character to take the [team’s] vision forward." – Virat Kohli.
India are set to give opportunities to a group of young players with the T20 World Cup a year away.https://t.co/Z9e4eExtld
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) September 16, 2019
Australia’s Dean Jones, however, disagreed with Yuvraj’s stance, asking Pant to “learn some home truths” and improve his batting. “Why should Pant be any different to any other young player that has made mistakes?,” he said on Twitter. “It’s big boys cricket. I know he is young [but] he needs to learn some home truths and improve his off- side play!”
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Pant’s next assignment will be the Tests against South Africa, only his second home series after West Indies’ tour last year. With the team having singled out Pant as their main wicketkeeper in Tests, Yuvraj feels that he needs to be persisted with.
“If you feel he is the most talented wicketkeeper-batsman we have, then stick with him, give him more chances. Go and tell him to play domestic cricket,” he urged. “You need to give him confidence. By criticising [him] you won’t get anything out of him.”
