Published 11:27 IST, December 29th 2019
Klusener says he can't see anyone better than Rishabh Pant to step into MS Dhoni's shoes
Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener has come out in support of youngster Rishabh Pant and has touted him to be of a worthy successor to MS Dhoni
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Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener has come out in support of youngster Rishabh Pant and has touted him to be of a worthy successor to MS Dhoni. The World Cup-winning skipper has not played a single international game after India's exit from the 2019 World Cup semi-finals and has refused to divulge into the details of his future until January 2020. With the team management deciding to 'move on' with MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant has been constantly backed as the team's first-choice wicketkeeper for the limited-overs format and the potential successor to MS Dhoni in the Men in Blue.
Pant has faced severe flak in the future for throwing away opportunities with a lack of basic technique and patience. However, skipper Kohli and chief selector MSK Prasad have backed the youngster and have categorically stated that time should be given to Pant to learn the game and to become more mature. Pant's aggressive and explosive style of batting, which starkly looks like a Yuvraj Singh, showed what he is capable of in the series against Bangladesh and West Indies. However, the question still looms as to if Rishabh Pant is the worthy successor of MS Dhoni while other talents such as Saha, Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik and so on are still in the que.
Lance Klusener backs Pant
The Afghanistan coach, who was with Pant during his coaching days with the then Delhi Daredevils, threw his weight behind the swashbuckling talent and said that he can't think of anyone more worthy than Pant to succeed the Captain Cool. Speaking to a news daily, Klusener said pointed out that Pant had sent warning signs in the series against Bangladesh and West Indies and termed him as a 'marvellous' project who had the full backing of the skipper and the selectors. Klusener believes that Pant will be successful in the future and advised the youngster to learn and absorb information about the game as much as possible.
Prasad wants Pant to relax like Saha
Speaking to a news daily, MSK Prasad advised Pant to relax like Saha and said that the wicketkeeper-batsman would be better then. Prasad pointed out how Pant's early entry into the Indian side had stripped him of the opportunity to play ta the domestic level. Hinting at the lapses in Pant's form, both with the ball and the gloves, MSK Prasad said that pressure adversely affected his form and that his keeping and batting were co-related and had an impact on each other. Hence, Prasad felt that the only way to come out of this situation is to relax and thereby Pant should learn the technique from the experienced Saha. Prasad drew a comparison between the ball striking the middle of the bat and the ball taken in the middle of the gloves (by the keeper) and said that they are equivalent in terms of judging the batting and keeping respectively.
11:27 IST, December 29th 2019