With changes in shot selection, Rishabh Pant will be set to serve India for 15 years, says Virender Sehwag

09/26/2019

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag feels that with slight tweaks to his shot selection, Rishabh Pant will be all set to serve Indian cricket for the next decade and a half. Former captain Kapil Dev also came to the side of the under-fire Pant and called on the team and fans to back him.

As pressure on Pant to deliver on his promising talent builds on one side, a host of former cricketers are coming to his aid on the other. After Yuvraj Singh, Kapil and Sehwag are the latest to join the cavalry of supporters for the 21-year-old being given more time. Having gone through similar phases in his illustrious career, Sehwag has a mentoring approach in mind to help Pant.

"I think Pant should also look to become a performer. He should concentrate on his shot selection. He has awesome talent and if he improves his shot selection, I am sure he will serve India for the next 15 years,” Sehwag was quoted saying by Sportstar.

“I think someone from the team management should have a word with him. I took it philosophically. That’s what Rishabh should also do. He should remember that anyone can flop. But it’s important that he should have the backing of the coach (Ravi Shastri) and the captain (Virat Kohli). Also, he should decide if he wants to keep playing his natural game or look to become a performer,” said Sehwag.

Sehwag further cited how the team management backed him early on in his career when he flopped some 20 times straight and the instance when Rahul Dravid took a young MS Dhoni aside to have a word which resulted in Dhoni turning into a long-term match-winner for his country. Meanwhile, India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain feels that he does not need to make any changes to his natural game in a quest to protect his place in the Indian squad.

“He should do nothing. For me, he must wait to feel the sweet touch of the ball on the bat. What is the hurry? He has the ability and calibre. It is the temperament that he needs to work on. There is a thin line between failure and success. You connect the shot and you are a hero. You don’t then the same shot becomes your nemesis. Tough choice to make but a choice has to be made before it is too late,” Kapil was quoted saying by Sportstar.

“I know he can hit fours and sixes at will but there are times when you have to be judicious. I was dropped once (in a Test in 1984) but then I could not blame anyone. I had given the selectors a chance to drop me. Pant should now look to deny anyone a chance to drop him. He has it in him and it's only a matter of time before he regains his form and confidence. Let’s back him,” Kapil added.

As for Pant, he is doing what he has been asked to – playing domestic cricket to re-organise his game.