Rishabh Pant needs right people to guide him in this phase: Mitchell Johnson

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant left the Australia series fiasco behind him on Sunday by belting a 27-ball 78 not out for his side Delhi Capitals (DC) in their first game of IPL 2019 against Mumbai Indians (MI). The knock was a decisive one as DC put up 100 runs in the last seven overs to post an imposing total. Rohit Sharma’s side was then all out for 176, conceding a 37-run defeat.

Pant’s innings caught eyes as it was only recently that the 21-year-old had a terrible outing in the ODI series against the Aussies. The Delhi keeper had such a bad game in Mohali with the gloves that the fans even called for his ouster and sought the return of the more experienced Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik. Pant had his revenge in the very first game of the IPL and could use the platform to strengthen his claim for a spot in India’s World Cup squad.

Johnson’s response came to Michael Vaughan’s tweet

Former England captain expressed his surprise on Twitter saying Pant gets criticised in India despite his performance and urged all to let him play his own game. “No idea why he keeps getting criticised In India … Just let him play the way he plays,” he tweeted.

Former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson took up the point uttered by Vaughan and gave his own explanation on why Pant is being treated the way he is. He also drew a comparison between Pant and Aussie southpaw Glenn Maxwell and opined that the Indian youngster needed the right people to guide him during this phase.

Because t20 cricket has a fair amount of luck involved in it & the other formats more skill maybe but I like him as a player. I see similarities to Maxwell, Pant needs the right people to guide him through

— Mitchell Johnson (@MitchJohnson398) March 25, 2019

Pant has seen a sensational rise in international cricket since making his Test debut in England last year. He slammed a hundred in his debut series at the Oval and then hit an eye-catching 159 not out against Australia in Sydney two months ago. The Delhi lad, however, hasn’t replicated the same performance in the limited-over formats and is yet to play enough matches for India.

His batting against a strong MI bowling attack on Sunday was a special effort that shut the critics. During his knock that included seven sixes and as many fours, Pant did not even spare Jasprit Bumrah who had an ordinary day.

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