'Great talent getting wasted': Kirti Azad backs Rishabh Pant to have a successful career

Kirti Azad has said that Rishabh Pant is a great talent that is getting wasted. The youngster was seen as a successor to the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni after he had been on a sabbatical from the game post World Cup 2019. Nonetheless, a string of poor performances with both the bat as well as the gloves meant that he ended up inviting criticisms from the fans as well as a handful of experts. 

Rishabh was sidelined from the team after he suffered a concussion during the home ODI series against Australia earlier this year as a result of which KL Rahul was made a makeshift wicket-keeper and continued to don the gloves in the away limited-overs series against New Zealand that followed.  Even though the 22-year-old was roped in for the two-match Test series for the same tour, he could not do anything exceptional after making a comeback.

'He is very impulsive': Kirti Azad

“He is very impulsive. I think he can turn out to be a very good batsman than a keeper. And, if he keeps his head cool, the question is that he wants to hit every ball, you are not playing T20 cricket when you are playing a 50-overs game or a Test match,” said Kirti Azad while speaking to Sportskeeda.

“You have to learn to stay at the wicket. If you stay at the wicket, the runs are going to come to you. Some good ball takes your wicket, I can understand, but if you hit a big shot and get out, which has happened most of the times as far as Rishabh Pant is concerned, I feel sorry because he is a great talent getting wasted,” the 1983 World Cup winner added.

Rishabh Pant in IPL 2020 & Team India's next assignments

The southpaw was retained by Delhi Capitals for the 13th edition of the cash-rich event that was originally scheduled to get underway on March 29 but has been suspended indefinitely as of now due to the global pandemic. The Capitals had finished third last season after losing to the eventual runners-up CSK in Qualifier 2. At the same time, a new look Delhi franchise (formerly known as Delhi Daredevils till the 2018 edition) had also made it to the playoffs for the first time after seven years. 

Meanwhile, Team India's next two away limited-overs bilateral series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe respectively have been called off due to coronavirus fear. However, the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly had confirmed earlier this month that India's tour of Australia for a four-match Test series will take place as per the originally scheduled Future Tours Programme (FTP). The series gets underway on December 3.

READ: Suresh Raina Gives Keeping Practice To Youngster Rishabh Pant During A Net Session

(Image Courtesy: AP)