India coach Ravi Shastri urged his wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant to adopt a ‘method’ to his big-hitting approach, which has yielded him a mixed bag of success in a career that has spanned a little under two years.
Pant is going through a lean run of form and there have been calls for the Indian team management to look elsewhere to don the gloves, especially with former skipper MS Dhoni taking a lengthy break from the game.
“You have got to cash in [on your opportunities],” Shastri told India Today.
He added, “Your work ethic should be solid. You have to have a solid approach to your batting. You can’t think everything is going to happen the way you want it to happen from ball one. No, it won’t happen like that. This game teaches you. There’s a method to madness as well. So, he has to learn that method.”
Shastri hinted that Pant could be sent back to domestic cricket to iron out his flaws. He said: “Sometimes, domestic cricket is good. There is less pressure in domestic cricket. He’s lucky that he has age on his side.
“If he disappears for three months or six months, just to work on his game, people should not think he has been treated badly. Absolutely not. He will come back tougher and stronger, if there is a need for that to happen.”
Just like skipper Virat Kohli and deputy Rohit Sharma, Shastri also feels that too much is being spoken about Pant. “He doesn’t need to be spoken about as much as as he is spoken about now. No, he is young, give him time. In five years, if he doesn’t set the world on fire, then talk about it,” said Shastri.
However, the 57-year-old believes that KL Rahul could emerge as an option as he keeps in the IPL as well as for Karnataka in domestic white-ball tournaments.
“It is an absolute option. You got to see where your strength is. Tomorrow, there could be a couple of guys in the middle-order who are firing with unbelievable innings in the IPL. And then if you have a guy who can multi-task, who could be used at the top, because there’s some firepower at the back who are doing extremely well, then why not.”
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