Former Indian wicketkeeper Saba Karim believes Rishabh Pant still remains an unfinished product and has to take cue from the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav and improve his game heading into the IPL 2021. The Delhi Capitals captain has more than 3300 runs in T20 cricket so far but has struggled for runs in the last two seasons, failing to replicate his 2018/19 exploits. Pant will hope to roar back into form in Phase 2, especially with the T20 World Cup on the horizon.
Speaking in a video uploaded on Khelneeti’s YouTube channel, former Indian wicket-keeper Saba Karim believes that Rishabh Pant needs to enjoy his cricket for the Delhi Capitals as he does for Team India. Karim said, ” I am not a part of the coaching staff so I expect Rishabh Pant to perform well not only as a wicketkeeper but also as a batsman. From what I saw in the first half, I liked his attitude a lot. He enjoys the game whether it’s batting or keeping. When we talked, I told him, ‘The way you play with India and enjoy the game, you’ll have to do the same in the IPL.”
Saba Karim added, “I feel Rishabh Pant is still an unfinished product in T20s. He’ll have to work harder on his shot selection and playing according to the situation, only then he’ll be a complete player. Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are cases in point.”
Nonetheless, the former Indian wicketkeeper believes leading the Delhi Capitals will only benefit Rishabh Pant and the youngster remain talented to finish matches on his own. He added, “He’s still young. I feel he’s enjoying the added responsibility of captaincy. He’ll reap its benefits with his batting as well in the future. Rishabh Pant is such a player, and is so talented, that he can finish matches. And that’s the role Delhi Capitals have entrusted on him. He’s expected to not only finish matches but also plays an important role while setting the target while batting first.”
The Delhi Capitals begin their campaign against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22. The Rishabh Pant led side are currently atop the IPL 2021 standings, with six wins in eight games before the tournament was suspended in May.
