AFP, New Delhi :
India captain Virat Kohli has come to the defence of under-fire wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant as he seeks a settled team to fight for the T20 World Cup in less than a year.
Pant had been seen as the successor to M.S. Dhoni, now established as one of the country’s all-time greats, but pundits have turned on the 22-year-old in recent months.
Pant, already overtaken by Wriddhiman Saha in the Test team, has been criticised for throwing away his wicket as a batsman and some misses behind the stumps.
Kohli said that Pant has to work on his game but insisted that fans who call for Dhoni’s return are “not respectful”.
“We certainly believe in Rishabh’s ability,” said Kohli.
“It’s the player’s responsibility to do well, work hard,” the captain added.
“But I think it’s a collective responsibility of everyone around us as well to give that player some space to do that.
“If he misses a chance or something, people can’t shout ‘MS’ in the stadium. It’s not respectful because no player would like that to happen.”
India captain Virat Kohli has come to the defence of under-fire wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant as he seeks a settled team to fight for the T20 World Cup in less than a year.
Pant had been seen as the successor to M.S. Dhoni, now established as one of the country’s all-time greats, but pundits have turned on the 22-year-old in recent months.
Pant, already overtaken by Wriddhiman Saha in the Test team, has been criticised for throwing away his wicket as a batsman and some misses behind the stumps.
Kohli said that Pant has to work on his game but insisted that fans who call for Dhoni’s return are “not respectful”.
“We certainly believe in Rishabh’s ability,” said Kohli.
“It’s the player’s responsibility to do well, work hard,” the captain added.
“But I think it’s a collective responsibility of everyone around us as well to give that player some space to do that.
“If he misses a chance or something, people can’t shout ‘MS’ in the stadium. It’s not respectful because no player would like that to happen.”
