Young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant who is tipped to become the successor to Mahendra Singh Dhoni for India in the limited overs’ formats played down comparisons between the two, stating that he doesn’t intend on competing with the veteran stumper.
“I am not here to compete with anyone. For me, this phase is all about learning. I keep going up to Mahi bhai and pick up things,” said Pant, as quoted by The Times of India.
Pant initially found it tough to make it into the Indian side on a permanent basis but solid performances in the IPL earned him a spot to the Test side in place of the injured Wriddhiman Saha, whose shoes weren’t properly filled by Dinesh Karthik who failed in England.
Also read: MS Dhoni’s absence will give Rishabh Pant opportunity to express himself, says Rohit Sharma
But Pant has grabbed this opportunity with open hands and even went on to score his first Test hundred in England. He was chosen as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper for the tour of Australia with Parthiv Patel as a backup option.
Pant however is also well-aware of the fact that social media plays a crucial role in their lives. On one hand, good performances can lead them to be praised, poor shows and slip-ups would invite the wrath of fans.
Talking about how he deals with social media, he said, ” “Social media is a part of everyone’s life. You can’t ignore it. But I have learnt to keep off-field hype back in my room. And it doesn’t matter if you have played 500 international matches, you are bound to be nervous when you take the field and I believe that’s a good thing.”
The Delhi cricketer hasn’t been able to share the dressing room as much as the other youngsters have done over the years with MS Dhoni and Pant admits that the hat of the mentor, in this case has been donned by skipper Virat Kohli.
“Virat bhaiya told me that playing 50 matches doesn’t mean you are experienced. A person with three-four games can be equally experienced if he picks up from others’ mistakes,” revealed Pant.
Image credit-(Rishabh Pant)- Dailyhunt
Image credit-(MS Dhoni)- NDTV Sports