Former Indian keeper-batter Deep Dasgupta has heaped praise on the Indian keeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who scored an excellent half-century in the second innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Dasgupta has stated that when the team is under pressure, Rishabh Pant emerges as a successful batter. He went on to add that just like how KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are part of the XI, it’s important to have a player like Pant, who is a high-risk option.
“It’s when you are in a spot of bother that Rishabh becomes valuable. Of course, a team shouldn’t have 11 Rishabh Pants as that won’t work either. The Indian team should look at it like a financial portfolio where you have certain high-risk options, some fixed deposits, and other safe investments. Much like how a KL Rahul-type player and a Yashasvi Jaiswal-type player is important to a team, a Pant-type player is just as important,” Deep Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel.
“My first thought as I watched Rishabh Pant was that he should be left alone. He is a maverick and a maverick has to be handled differently from the others. I am not saying he should get preferential treatment, but his methods are different from the rest and that must be considered when assessing him. He is a proven match-winner in this format. It’s because of his 66 that India has reached such a solid position in this game,” he added.
Furthermore, Dasgupta has showered praise on Pant for scoring an exceptional half-century, turning the tables. Notably, Pant’s 66-run knock off 69 balls with eight fours and two sixes propelled India to 193 runs in the second innings.
“Rishabh’s value gets heightened more in such matches when there is some trouble. His knock singlehandedly made this into a one-sided affair. Though he won’t win the Player of the Match award, he played a match-winning knock. This is why he should be left alone and not be praised or slammed based on the outcome of his shots. He is a very smart cricketing brain, so there is a method behind his madness. Only he knows that method and can execute it like very few can,” he concluded.
