Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant is going through a particularly sweet purple patch in his career. Pant broke into the Indian Test side and made a name for himself with dominant and audacious batting displays hardly seen before. While the purists may argue that there’s a reckless side to it, Pant’s method behind his madness seems capable of pulling off wonders.
That is exactly what he did batting in the second innings of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. The southpaw blazed his way to record the fastest ever half-century by an Indian in Test cricket after getting to the 50-run mark in 28 deliveries. Pant smacked seven fours and two sixes on his way to the milestone.
Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik spoke highly of Rishabh Pant and believes that the left-hander is already on the road to greatness. Karthik even compared Pant to the legendary MS Dhoni who played the role of wicket-keeper with distinction.
“Rishabh Pant is undoubtedly on his road to stardom. If he has a comprehensive wicketkeeping career for India, I reckon he may join MS Dhoni as one of the greats. These two will go down as two of India’s best wicketkeepers who have played the game,” said Dinesh Karthik as quoted by Cricbuzz.
The 24-year-old’s rise to stardom hasn’t been easy however. Rough patches often led to full-blown crises given the way he plays. However, he has bounced back from setbacks every single time and has never shied away from a challenge. Pant’s confidence and audacity are the probably the best elements of his game and he always tries to take on the bowler no matter the situation, no matter the player or condition.
Pant’s brazenness reminds Indians of a certain Virender Sehwag who also took the same fearless and relentless approach to the sport. Dinesh Karthik also spoke about how Pant reminds him of Sehwag and his ability to hit boundaries makes it easier for him to attack bowlers.
“Rishabh Pant does have the confidence to try new things and succeed every time. He also reminds me of Virender Sehwag in that whenever the field is open, he has the ability to attack and hit boundaries with ease straight away, which makes him a remarkable Test player. In many regards, Test cricket is a boundary-hitting format to him,” concluded Dinesh Karthik.
