'You cannot expect Rishabh Pant to replace MS Dhoni immediately' - Brian Lara

Brian Lara, the former legendary batsman from West Indies has stated his opinion on struggling Rishabh Pant and he feels that the Indian fans should not put unnecessary pressure over the young Indian wicketkeeper. Pant has failed to impress with the bat and had dropped several important catches behind the stumps while playing for the national side.

Rishabh Pant’s woeful form is a major concern for Team India. The southpaw was brought into the squad as a replacement for MS Dhoni but a sudden dip in his form has made him the main target of the critics. He is currently averaging 22.90 in ODIs and it doesn’t justify the calibre of the 22-year-old.

Brian Lara feels Rishabh Pant is a different player

Brian Lara feels that Rishabh Pant came into international cricket creating a lot of excitement. Everyone knows about his batting talent and he has proved it in Indian Premier League on numerous occasions. He is an aggressive cricketer and the Indian cricket fans expect him to immediately replace MS Dhoni. Lara opined that Pant is totally a different player from others and shouldn’t be compared with anyone else.

He also added the fact that the T20 World Cup is just nine to ten months away and the time is possibly critical. According to Lara, creating excessive pressure over Pant is unnecessary as he will get mature with time.

“Rishabh Pant came into the game creating a lot of excitement, he had a lot of aggression and the Indian public expects someone to replace (MS) Dhoni immediately and in the same fold but he is a totally different player. I know the time is critical with the World Cup just 8 or 9 months away and they may even go with another keeper but the excessive pressure on him is unnecessary,” Brian Lara said while speaking at a Star Sports show.

Earlier, on numerous occasions during the match when Rishabh Pant has dropped the catch behind the stumps, the crowd has started chanting the name of MS Dhoni. A similar incident happened in the 2nd T20I against West Indies when he fumbled Evin Lewis’ catch in the fifth over of the innings.

And, the spectators yet again started chanting Dhoni’s name. However, Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper didn’t look impressed with the behaviour of the crowd and asked them to chant Pant’s name instead of Dhoni.