21 year old wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant has created quite some stir ever since he burst into the international scene during the test series against England last year. It was however tough going for the youngster behind the stumps in the adverse English conditions with the red Dukes seaming and swinging all around. Pant found it really difficult to collect the ball and ended up leaking a lot of byes against his name and questions were raised regarding his place in the test team as the first choice wicketkeeper.
It was however a completely different story for the 21 year old in Australia, where he dealt with the bounce really well in testing conditions as far as wicketkeeping is concerned. Pant recorded 20 catches in the four match test series against the Aussies, including a world record 11 scalps in the first test at Adelaide.
In a recent interview with PTI, Pant accredited former Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More for helping him improve his glovework. The youngster explained that a slight alteration in his hand positioning and body posture was what had helping him turn the tables around in Australia and mentioned that it would not have been possible without the guidance of Kiran More.
“Keeping in England was an altogether different experience. After that, I worked with Kiran sir at the NCA on a few specific areas. It included hand-positioning and body posture. Every keeper has distinct movement and I tweaked it a little and it worked,” Pant told PTI during an exclusive interview.
“When you make it to the team at a young age, the more you are keen to learn, the better you get at utilising the opportunities that come your way. When I got that hundred in England, the confidence rose to a different level. From there, I started constantly thinking that how can I improve in certain areas. The process of learning that started in England paid off in Australia,” the 21 year old went on to say.
Pant, in the meanwhile, has replaced Dinesh Karthik in the Indian squad for the upcoming limited over fixtures against Australia. The men in blue are scheduled to play 2 T20Is and 5 ODIs against Aaron Finch’s men starting from February 24. The series against Australia will be a final opportunity for the youngster to make the cut in the men in blue’s squad for the showpiece event due in less than four months.
