BCCI President Sourav Ganguly Stands Behind A Struggling Rishabh Pant - Give Him Time, He Will Be Fine
Pant has come under fire.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is standing in Rishabh Pant's corner. He said the youngster was a "superb player".
Pant is not in the best of form in the current T20Is vs Bangladesh and is struggling with both bat and the gloves. Nonetheless, Ganguly backed him.
"He's a superb player. Give Rishabh Pant time, he will be fine," he told PTI.
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"He will mature slowly, you have to give him time. India played really well," he added.
The southpaw did not have much to write home about in the opening game as he made just 27 in 26 balls and his DRS errors cost India badly.
Rohit Sharma led from the front to make it 1-1 in the next game but Pant was in the firing line for collecting the ball in front of the stumps and thus missing Liton Das' stumping.
Pant, however, made up for it with a run-out and stumping later in the game.
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India play the decider on November 10. 10 more T20I are coming up against West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand ahead of the 2020 World T20.
Whether or not MS Dhoni will play in the tournament is not known.
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So Pant has no reason to lose heart. After Dhoni, he is the best bet. And if Sourav is backing him, he knows what he is talking about. Thus there is something over the horizon to look forward to as far as this young man is concerned.
Pant was slated to be the next Dhoni and while he has done well in patches, there is a lot left to do for him. Can he repay Sourav's faith in him? That is what will be interesting to watch. India have a busy schedule ahead and it is time for Pant to put his hand up and be counted.
Last but not the least, Pant has time on his side. He is only 22 and has years left in the game. But it is time he accepts the fact that he cannot take his place for granted. He paid for it in the Tests when Wriddhiman Saha took his place. His spot is that of keeper batsman and he needs to do well in both departments to convince the selectors and fans that he belongs at the top level. Take it as a challenge and come out on time. It's times like these that determine a player's true mettle so for him it is time to jump into the ring and fight it out.
