'Person you were preparing to succeed MS Dhoni is now serving water' - Ashish Nehra not happy with the team management's handling of Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant has turned out to be a curious case for team India and management. The Delhi wicket-keeper was thought to be someone who would replace MS Dhoni. In fact, the 22-year-old played as a batsman in several matches during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. However, an indifferent form has now made the Indian team drop him as the wicket-keeper.

Virat Kohli rather also mentioned in a press conference that playing KL Rahul as a wicket-keeper allows them to have an extra batsman in the side. Going by that statement, it doesn’t seem the young keeper has still been looked upon as a batsman and hasn’t played in the limited-overs format since January 2020.

I know Rishabh Pant missed his chances, says Ashish Nehra

Recently, during an interaction with Aakash Chopra, former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra expressed his disappointment with the way Pant has been treated by the Indian team management. The ex-cricketer pointed out that there is no certainty with the number 5 or 6 slots in the ODI side. He said that right now Rahul is batting at that position and the player who was been looked upon as the successor to Dhoni (Pant) is serving water,

“There are a lot of talented players but they should be backed for a longer duration. Today also when we talk about the number 5 and 6 slots in Indian ODI side, then we are not sure about it. KL Rahul is playing on the 5th position and Pant, the person you were preparing to succeed MS Dhoni, is serving water,” Nehra told Chopra in a live interaction.

The 41-year-old also admitted that Rishabh Pant hasn’t lived up to his expectations. However, he also said that the team management has kept him in the squad even though he is so young just based upon his potential. “I know he has missed his chances and there is no doubt about it but then you have kept him in the team because you saw the potential in him at 22-23 years,” Nehra added.