Poor Rishabh Pant is only 21 yet faces so much criticism, insists Rohit Sharma

Of late, Rishabh Pant has faced criticism for his poor shot selection and whimsical work behind the stumps for a number of occasions now. The 22-year-old wicketkeeper has been given a consistent run at the international level in limited-overs cricket considering him the natural heir of MS Dhoni.

There have been instances where Pant has dropped a catch or missed a stumping and resulting in the crowd chanting Dhoni’s name, breaking the confidence level of the youngster. Indian captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma along with the members of the Indian team management have always been vocal about giving full support to Pant.

Rohit Sharma in an exclusive interview to ESPNCricinfo revealed his discussion with Pant on how to avoid criticism to be in a proper mindset. Rohit believes that a player should create a ‘shield’ to be in an environment far away from criticism. He further suggested the same to Pant so that he can focus on his game better.

"In fact, I was telling Pant the same thing. Poor guy is only 21 and people are telling him to score hundreds in every game, do this and do that. I mean cut some slack man. I told Rishabh create a wall and ensure that nobody comes inside. It's your safe house. People want to talk about you, let them do it outside that wall and you do what you intend to do inside your zone," Rohit suggested Pant.