Rishabh Pant should take over reins from MS Dhoni in the Indian team: Ashish Nehra

Rishabh Pant is looked upon as one of the finest talents of the current Indian side. Despite being criticized for poor shot selection, Pant never fails to amuse fans with his blistering knocks. The southpaw, known his explosive prowess, is also proving his worth in the on-going IPL 2020.

While plying his trade for Delhi Capitals, Pant has so far produced scores of 31, 37*, 28, 38, 37 runs respectively. Yet to score a big knock this year, Pant has been a vital part of the Delhi franchise since the past two IPL editions. The Shreyas Iyer-led side is currently sitting at the top of the points table with four wins in their first five games.

Meanwhile, Pant’s never-ending comparisons with veteran MS Dhoni fail to diminish. Since his arrival on the international stage, the young wicketkeeper-batsman has been labelled as Dhoni’s successor. Pant, however, is yet to cement his place in the national side. But considering his age, the southpaw still has ample time to prove himself while donning the blue jersey.

Meanwhile, former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar has backed Pant to replace Dhoni in the Indian side. Pant has been in stellar touch in this year’s IPL and Bangar believes the Delhi lad can emerge as a vital left-handed option of India’s middle-order artillery.

Important to have a left-hander in India’s middle-order: Sanjay Bangar

“In terms of wicket-keeping, I think it would be Rishabh Pant. I think the way he started this year’s IPL and I think it is very important to have a left-hander as an option because for Team India when it comes to the middle order it helps to balance out the right-handers,” Bangar said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

Echoing Bangar’s thoughts, former India pacer Ashish Nehra also opined that Pant needs to be backed at the international level so he can ultimately take over the reins from Dhoni in the Indian team.

“It totally depends on which format we are talking about. If we are talking about Test cricket, and if you want to go with the best wicketkeeper then you also have to consider the mindset of the captain and coach. I am in total agreement with Sanjay Bangar, I think they should go ahead with Rishabh Pant. Pant should be backed! Every player needs to be backed when it comes to international cricket,” Nehra said.

Talking about Pant’s performance while donning the Indian jersey, the 23-year-old has amassed over 1500 runs while representing the national side in 13 Tests, 16 ODIs and 28 T20Is. His last international stint was against New Zealand in February this year.