MS Dhoni was not made in a day, Rishabh Pant is a work in progress, don’t suppress him: Yuvraj Singh

Rishabh Pant has been under fire for his disappointing performances for the Indian team in recent times. More so, the fans and cricket experts are frustrated the way he has been throwing his wicket away with some of the most ridiculous shots in situations that didn’t warrant such strokes and according to them, has wasted opportunities handed to him with such low scores.

While Rishabh Pant himself has asked for some time from everyone to get into the groove and become mature in his game and with his stroke-making. One of his biggest mistakes came in the semi-finals of the World Cup 2019 where he and Hardik Pandya were tasked with bringing the Indian innings back on track after losing four early wickets. Despite doing some good work to lay down a foundation, Pant couldn’t keep himself from going after the spinner and lost his wicket when it wasn’t needed.

Yuvraj Singh comes in support of Pant

Pant has scored just one fifty in his last few innings, with most of his outings ending in single-digit scores, including a few ducks as well. He is being groomed as MS Dhoni’s successor, but his performances are testing the patience of both selectors and fans, with the likes of Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat knocking on doors for an opportunity.

But former India player Yuvraj Singh feels the youngster needs more time and support to prove himself right and must be backed to the hilt. He also felt that Pant shouldn’t be compared with MS Dhoni, given that Dhoni also took time to become the player he has been over a decade and a half. “MS Dhoni was not made in a day. It took a few years so it will take a few years for a replacement also. There is one year to go for the T20 World Cup so that is still a long time,” Yuvraj was quoted by India Today.

“How they get the best out of Pant is completely based on his character. You have to understand his psychology and then work with that. If you are going to suppress him, you won’t get the best out of him. Yes, he has been given a number of chances but how do you get the best out of him. The people monitoring him in the team — the coaches, the captain — can make a lot of difference,” Yuvraj Singh was quoted as saying by India Today.

Pant has the opportunity of a lifetime to cement his place for the upcoming World T20 2020 as Dhoni has extended his break from cricket till November.