'He's a matured player, getting better and better' - Vikram Rathour lavishes praises on Rishabh Pant

These are still early days for Rishabh Pant in international cricket but the wicketkeeper-batter has already seen several ups and downs. While he burst onto the scenes with Test centuries on English and Australian soil, his consistency then earned flak and even got him dropped from the side. However, Pant’s beast form was unleashed during India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia and there has been no looking back since then.

The southpaw played some breathtaking knocks in that tour as India recorded a famous 2-1 triumph in the Test series. Team India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour is mighty impressed with Pant’s progress as he heaped praises on the southpaw. While Rathour is pleased to see the southpaw rising up the ranks, he reckons the 24-year-old still has a long way to go.

Rishabh Pant knows he is an important player in the India setup: Vikram Rathour

“He has suddenly grown up. Rohit and Dravid are in the saddle now, and he knows he is an important player in the India setup. He has now matured as a player. He is getting better and better, but there is still a long way to cover,” Rathour told The Week.

Notably, Pant is filling the big boots of MS Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in August 2020. Like the former Indian captain, the southpaw also serves behind the stumps and has been assigned the duties of a finisher. Speaking on the same, Rathour has backed the dasher to thrive in that role.

“He will be a finisher at number five or six, he knows that. Nobody is pushing him to get a hundred in ODIs. He will always be an impact player and if he is consistently getting 40-50 and winning it for the team, then that is fine,” Rathour added.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant is currently leading Delhi Capitals in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. He took the side to the playoffs last year but this time around, Pant will like to get his hands on the elusive trophy.