IPL 2018 | Rishabh Pant is my favourite batsman right now, says Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina has heaped praises on Delhi Daredevils’ star batsman Rishabh Pant, calling him as his favourite batsman in the current IPL scenario. Raina also pointed out the similarity in his batting style and that of Pant, stating that Pant reminded him of his early days as a batsman.
Though Delhi Daredevils’ disappointing run in IPL continued in their 11th season as well, they did see some spark of brilliance here and there and the biggest of them all was definitely the fierce Rishabh Pant. The youngster has been in extraordinary form this season, garnering praises from the likes of Virendra Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar.
The latest one to join the list was Suresh Raina, the second highest run scorer in IPL history, who revealed that Pant has been doing so well that he has become his favourite batsman.
"He is doing so well. He is my favourite batsman right now," Raina told India Today before CSK’s match against DD on Friday.
Pant has scored a whopping 620 runs in 13 matches so far, holding the Orange Cap a number of times this season. With one match yet to go, the highlight of the season for him has been the brilliant unbeaten knock of 128 against Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad.Â
Raina further went on to state that the 20-year-old reminded him of his younger self and felt that god-gifted players like him need to be supported. The southpaw also mentioned that Sachin Tendulkar believed Pant was a mixture between Raina and Yuvraj Singh. Â
"The way he plays, he reminds me of myself, of my early days. In fact, Sachin Paaji (Tendulkar) also said that he is a mix of Raina and Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh). Viru
Pant has played four T20Is for India so far and has been able to score 73 runs for them, with 38 being the highest. And Raina felt that the Delhi youngster has done pretty well in the limited opportunities so far and could serve the country for a long time.Â
"I think that whatever opportunity he has got till now, he has done reasonably well for the Indian team. It is unfortunate that he missed out on a place in the Indian team for the Ireland and England tour. He seems to be one of those cricketers who will play for a long time for India," he added.