'You are not going to be a superstar in one day' - Ravi Shastri backs under-fire Rishabh Pant

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has found the going tough in international cricket. While the 22-year-old saw the entire country backing him even a few months ago, his consistent failure with the bat and ordinary glovework changed the mood overnight.

Now, the supporters are feeling convinced that Pant is not a long-run horse and are feeling more for the likes of Sanju Samson. The Kerala keeper-batsman, who made it to the T20I squad against Bangladesh but did not get a game, was dropped for the next series against the West Indies and the move earned the selectors a major backlash.

Pant was retained for the twin series against the Caribbeans despite not doing anything special against the Tigers and head coach Ravi Shastri has now backed the youngster saying nobody expected him to learn everything in a day.

“Nothing. Just tell him that you are young and nobody expects you to learn everything in one day. You are bound to make mistakes, but as long as you sit down and think about ways to rectify those mistakes, you know that is what this game will teach you,” said Ravi Shastri as quoted by India Today.

Rishabh Pant hit two Test hundreds but has failed to shine in limited-overs

Pant burst into the international stage with a hundred in his debut Test series in England. He then slammed a big hundred in Sydney earlier this year in a historic series against Australia. He also scored a couple of 90s against the West Indies at home last year in the long format.

But the southpaw, who has also impressed in the Indian Premier League, has not found the same touch in the limited-overs games. He has scored only 229 runs in 12 ODIs at an average of 23 and 358 runs in 23 T20Is at around 20 with two half-centuries to his name. Currently playing in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Pant is the only wicketkeeper to have been picked in the 15-man squads for the three-T20Is and three-ODIs series.

“You are not going to be a superstar in one day. You will have your ups and your downs. That is life, but the more you work harder, the more the sacrifices you make, the better you will become,” Shastri said about Pant who is often seen as a natural successor to the legendary MS Dhoni.