KL Rahul’s rise as a wicketkeeper-batsman seems to have closed the doors for Rishabh Pant in the white-ball format. Once considered as the deserving replacement of MS Dhoni, the Delhi stumper wasn’t even named in the limited-overs series against Australia.
Pant’s inclusion may have had added to the strength of India’s batting but his inconsistency forced the selectors to take a strong call. Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra feels that the young stumper has only himself to blame for not getting featured in any of the teams.
“Rishabh Pant needed to understand this whenever he had the opportunity, he had to understand that the way he was getting out and whether he was able to finish the match or not. He has not made full use of the chances that he got and he only has himself to blame at this point in time,” Aakash Chopra told Cricbuzz.
The way ahead for Pant isn’t going to be an easy one as he has to toil hard to make his way back. He didn’t have a decent IPL season either and now faces a selection challenge as Wriddhiman Saha has also been named in the Test squad, who was preferred for the practice game against Australia A.
The former Indian opener feels that Pant needs to be a bit harsh on himself that he did not make the most of his chances.
“Wriddhiman Saha has been keeping for India A in the practice game against Australia A. It means that Rishabh Pant has even lost his spot in Test cricket. At one point in time, he was India’s first-choice wicketkeeper across all three formats. He was also sent to the 2019 World Cup as a replacement,” Aakash Chopra said.
“If things have turned out to be this bad for him, he is still young and will get chances to bounce back. But he will have to be a bit harsh on himself that he did not make the most of his chances,” Chopra added.