Rishabh Pant has seen plenty of ups and downs in his young career. The 22-year-old set a high standard for himself by scoring Test centuries in England and Australia a couple of years ago, but a lack of form since the 2019 ODI World Cup saw him lose his spot in India’s limited-overs sides earlier this year.
However, Pant has now received support from Suresh Raina. The former India middle-order batsman has said that the youngster reminds him of several greats of Indian cricket.
“Pant is a top cricketer and when he plays well, you become happy,” Raina said during a live chat on Instagram with Yuzvendra Chahal recently. “He reminds of Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag, as he is as dominant as them. When he plays the flick, it reminds you of Rahul Dravid as well,” he added.
Yuvraj himself had recently said that he keeps in touch with Pant and asks the ‘keeper-batsman to focus on his game and fitness.
“Coaches and seniors have to be in touch with them [youngsters] constantly and tell them there are certain things they can’t do on and off the field,” he had said.
“They have to work harder on their fitness. They really need guidance because they are at a fragile stage. They can either become great players or their careers could break. If they make a mistake they should be told it is not acceptable. I have gone through that stage.”