Rishabh Pant has been remarkable for India, reveals Sourav Ganguly

The new-look Delhi Capitals squad will be boasting the likes of former Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Shikhar Dhawan, South Africa cricketer’s  Kagiso Rabada, and Colin Ingram along with the youngsters who had impressed last season. Shreyas Iyer would reprise his role as the captain and would hope that compatriot, Rishabh Pant could replicate his form from last season helping him to lead Delhi to some long-awaited silverware this season.

DC head coach Ricky Ponting along with newly-appointed advisor Sourav Ganguly both lavished praise on Pant ahead of the start of the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup. The latter, in particular, was adamant that Pant would definitely be a star on the global stage in the years to follow.

"Anybody who wants to succeed in shorter formats of the game he has to go up, we have seen the best in the world do that. If you send Rishabh at number four, he will score runs for you because he is so talented, he has got so much time to play. In his short career he has been remarkable for India and once he starts getting opportunity consistently, he will be a top player," Ganguly said at a recent press conference as per PTI sources.

After the Delhi-born youngster impressed in the Test outings against England and Australia, he has cemented his spot as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in the longer format. Ganguly also added that Pant deserved more chances in the shorter-format with the national team.

"Look at the way he played in the IPL last year, he got a full tournament, 14 games, and he was probably the second highest run-getter in the IPL last year.

"The problem with him in shorter formats is that he doesn't get regular cricket because you have a champion in MS Dhoni who actually plays most of the shorter formats, so Rishabh is coming in and going out all the time and that's never good for anybody, however quality a player you are," Ganguly said.

Meanwhile, Ponting, a two-time World Cup winning Australian captain, shared his former foe’s sentiment as he opined that Pant could single-handedly win a team a World Cup.

"The first thing I would do is pick him in that Indian squad for the World Cup, I would play him as a batter, I would play him at number four. He is the sort of guy, with that kind of talent, he can win you a World Cup, he has just got that x-factor," Ponting added.