Published 21:43 IST, April 5th 2020
Ashish Nehra believes Rishabh Pant's journey to be similar to that of predecessor MS Dhoni
Former Indian bowler Ashish Nehra said that he sees Rishabh Pant's journey similar to that of his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni during a recent interview
Ashish Nehra has come forward and highlighted a huge difference between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his successor Rishabh Pant. Dhoni has not donned the Indian jersey ever since the Men In Blue's World Cup 2019 semi-final loss against New Zealand in July last year. Meanwhile, Pant who was once considered as Dhoni's replacement also seems to have lost his place in the Indian side since the start of this year. While KL Rahul is donning the gloves in limited-overs, Wriddhiman Saha is the first-choice wicketkeeper in Tests.
'I don’t see anyone coming close': Ashish Nehra
During a recent interview with a daily publication, Nehra said he does not see anyone coming close to the impact that MS Dhoni has had as a wicket-keeper batsman except for Rishabh Pant. At the same time, the former medium pacer also mentioned that the southpaw reminds him a lot of Dhoni even though he is still in the early days of his cricketing journey.
The 2011 World Cup winner also added that Dinesh Karthik was an exceptional talent with sound technique. However, the former Indian skipper did what neither Dinesh Kartik or Parthiv Patel could do and that was making the most of his opportunities. The veteran left-arm medium-pacer further added that even though the World Cup-winning captain might not have been the best-looking batsman or a sound wicket-keeper, he certainly was the best wicketkeeper-batsman.
'Not justified': Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra is widely remembered for his on-field gimmicks and unique antics. One such incident that garnered Nehra's attention was during the tour of arch-rivals Pakistan to India back in 2005. It was during the fourth ODI of the series in Ahmedabad when the bowler grabbed all the eyeballs as he was caught abusing MS Dhoni on-field for having dropped a catch behind the stumps.
Recollecting the incident recently, the speedster stated that he is not proud of his behaviour. Speaking to a news daily, Nehra intricately remembered that he had been hit by for a six by Shahid Afridi on the previous delivery and as expected in an India-Pakistan match, the pressure was high. He then stated that he had created a chance to dismiss Afridi which was put in vain as Dhoni dropped the catch leading to his frustration. He added that both skipper Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni were, however, fine with him after the game but admitted that his behaviour is not justified.
Updated 21:43 IST, April 5th 2020