Important for Rishabh Pant to create his own identity, believes Brad Haddin

Things have not gone according to plan for India’s prodigal youngster Rishabh Pant - at least in the limited-overs format - who, seven months prior to the World T20, finds himself temporarily frozen out of the white-ball setup. Pant, who has been handed several roles by the management in his short career, has found it difficult to cope with the rigours of international cricket, with him often getting overwhelmed by the occasion, succumbing to the pressure.

He has, however, continued to receive plenty of support - and advice - from former cricketers and coaches like and the latest one to join the list is former Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin. Haddin believes that for Pant to excel at the international level, the young keeper-batsman would need to be himself and create an identity, something the 42-year-old believes will help the player in the long run. 

“Rishabh Pant should be him. That’s how he’s going to create his identity. He’s got to be himself. Expectation comes with anyone at this level and that’s one of the things you’ve got to deal with. But the most important thing is to create your own identity of what you want to be seen as,” Haddin told Sportstar.

“You bring your own style to the team. When I first got my opportunity to play Test cricket, I couldn’t try to be an Adam Gilchrist or Ian Healy. I had to bring my own unique style to the game. One of the challenges here is not trying to be someone you’re not and just be true to yourself.”

A big reason as to why Pant has struggled and faced the heat is also because he’s had to fill in the shoes of MS Dhoni, who left quite the legacy behind. Haddin, who himself had to step into the shoes of Adam Gilchrist, believes that it’s key for the next-gen Indian wicket-keepers to carry forward the legacy left behind by Dhoni and attested that it can only be achieved if they bring about their own identity to the stage.

“India have been blessed for the last 10 years to have a superstar of the game in M. S. Dhoni. So, it’s important whoever takes over from that role creates their own identity. Dhoni has left a great legacy to the game. He’s left a great legacy for Indian cricket, but the next one involved, it’s up to them to put their own style to the game and their identity what they want to create as an Indian keeper.”