Rishabh Pant has now matured as a player and is getting better and better, reckons Vikram Rathour

The Indian national team has entered a new era as the tenure of coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma started recently. Rohit has an impressive record since he commenced his stint. Also, there were some positive changes in the Test side as Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer got their chance of playing in the final XI. India now needs to find a long-term leader who can replace Rohit after he bids farewell to the game. KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer are three strong candidates for leadership and they are captaining their respective franchises in the IPL as well. 

Pant played a key role in India’s historic victory over Australia in the away Test series and he has improved his game since then. India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour has praised the left-hander saying he has turned himself into a mature cricketer and is getting better.

"He has suddenly grown up. Rohit and Dravid are in the saddle now, and he knows he is an important player in the India setup. He has now matured as a player. He is getting better and better, but there is still a long way to cover," Rathour told The Week.

India have been searching for a finisher ever since MS Dhoni announced his retirement. Ravindra Jadeja might also play that role but Rathour has identified Pant as the best option for that position. 

"He will be a finisher at number five or six, he knows that. Nobody is pushing him to get a hundred in ODIs. He will always be an impact player and if he is consistently getting 40-50 and winning it for the team, then that is fine," he explained.