Reiterating the selection committee’s stand on Rishabh Pant’s ability, the chief selector of the Indian National Cricket Team, MSK Prasad said that they are still grooming players for the slot. He added that Rishabh Pant remains the first choice for now. Speaking of keeping a track on backups, MSK Prasad said that they have KS Bharath, who is doing well in the longer format for India. Additionally, he mentioned the names of Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson and said that they are doing well in shorter formats for India ‘A’ and domestic cricket. Explaining that Rishabh Pant possesses immense talent, Prasad also said that they (selection committee) need to be patient in their approach towards Pant’s progress. Prasad said that Rishabh Pant is concentrating on his progress.  

Batting coach Vikram Rathour’s view 

Rathour on Pant’s current performance said that he needs to sort his game plan and become more disciplined. Not only Rishabh Pant, but Rathour said that all young players need to understand that there is a fine line between fearless cricket and careless cricket. He also spoke about team management’s wishes to ask the players to be fearless, but he also added that the players should have a clear game plan and play with intent. Besides, he said, the focus should be batting to your strength and at the same time, one cannot be careless.  

Read: Rishabh Pant: Which bat does the young wicket-keeper batsman use? 

Read: Rishabh Pant compelled to start firing as India look to strike first

Virat Kohli on Dhoni 

A report stated that Pant fell prey to his batting indiscipline in World Cup semifinal against New Zealand at Old Trafford, in Mohali also. Virat Kohli’s statements in the report also indicate the reason why he might be reluctant to write off Dhoni as far as international cricket is concerned. Kohli told the Indian express that, “One great thing about him (Dhoni) is that, he thinks for Indian cricket. And whatever we (team management) think, he is on the same page. The alignment is there. The kind of mindset he has had about grooming youngsters and giving them opportunities, and he is still the same person.” New players like Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Sundar Washington and Navdeep Saini have also been included in the squad this time. In an earlier press conference, Virat Kohli has also said that that they are trying out various combinations in the matches before the T20 World Cup. He said it is very crucial to try combinations in these matches as they would be the deciding factor for the T20 World Cup.   

Read: Virat Kohli: 'Possibility of South Africa surprising us exists'

Read: Rishabh Pant phenomenal but tends to get ahead of himself: Klusener