Few cricketers playing the sport divide opinions as sharply as Rishabh Pant, with the young wicketkeeper batsman’s output rarely matching his prodigious talents.
Some believe Pant is a generational talent and the second coming of Adam Gilchrist. They feel he is the man who deserves to don the wicketkeeping gloves for India for the next decade following the retirement of MS Dhoni. Others argue that the 23-year-old is undeserving of the numerous chances handed to him after what has been a series of failures in the limited-overs formats.
Like with many such debates, the answer regarding Pant is probably somewhere in the middle. There is no denying that he comes with bags of talent which have already manifested themselves briefly in an India jersey. He is, after all, the first Indian wicketkeeper batsman to register Test tons on English and Australian soil. That he performed those feats at the age of only 21 is testament to what he can grow into.
However, there is also the other side of him which has flattered to deceive massively in limited-overs cricket – two formats which were meant to be his bread and butter. Just three half-centuries after 44 appearances for India across ODI and T20I formats tells its own story.
Pant’s defenders suggest the reasons for his poor white-ball returns are down to his natural attacking game being stifled by the Indian management. Whether a player like him needs to be given free rein to eventually come good is another debate, but it cannot be denied that the output has rarely matched the potential talent.
As he prepares to take the field for Delhi Capitals in Friday’s big IPL showdown against Mumbai Indians, the Roorkee native will know that his India career has reached a crossroad. MS Dhoni has retired from the internationals and Pant seems nowhere near to being appointed as his long-term wicketkeeping successor. That position, for the time being, is being occupied by KL Rahul.
Despite not being a full-time wicketkeeper, Rahul has been performing the role in India’s limited-overs squads since the start of the year and it is he who will take the gloves in the upcoming ODI and T20I clashes in Australia.
Pant, meanwhile, has not even been selected as the back-up wicketkeeper for the shorter formats and will have to contend with a place in the Test squad for the Australian tour. It has been nearly two years since he struck that fine unbeaten 159 at the Sydney Cricket Ground to aid India’s march to a first-ever Test series win in Australia.
The memories of that innings are fading quickly for the youngster and he faces the real prospect of not making the XI when India take on the hosts at the same venue for the third Test of the four-match series. There is every chance that it will be Wriddhiman Saha who takes the gloves in the red-ball clashes, especially in light of Pant’s fitness issues.
It is no secret that the lockdown wasn’t kind to Pant, and the wicketkeeper arrived for the IPL overweight. Having to keep wickets in a five-day clash is always a gruelling task, especially on the bouncy pitches expected to be rolled out in Australia.
While Pant has looked worse for wear in the UAE, Saha has been looking fitter than ever. Their batting forms couldn’t be more contrasting as well, with Saha’s energy at the top providing Sunrisers Hyderabad with a fresh lease of life in the tournament. Pant, on the other hand, has struggled for form as well as fitness with the Delhi Capitals. His 282 runs in the tournament so far have come at an excruciating strike-rate of just 112 and is a far cry for a batsman who was slaying bowling attacks in the competition during the 2018 and 2019 editions.
The IPL has been the platform where Pant’s aggressive instincts have usually flourished. He has even made premier bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah look like mugs in the past editions. Unfortunately, those qualities have not come to the fore this time around. Instead, it is Saha who has come out looking excellent in a pinch-hitting role and the veteran keeper is averaging more than 71 after his four innings.
Image credit – SPORTZPICS for BCCI.
Pant looks in two minds whether to attack or build an innings, and this uncertainty has robbed the left-hander from his best traits. He could still turn it around in the play-off clashes for Delhi and pull off the innings of the tournament. That potential always exists with him after all.
Whatever be the outcome of this IPL, the outlook for his India prospects as of now are looking bleaker by the minute. That is not to say that he has come to the end of the road. Expectations from Pant are always huge, but people often overlook the fact that he is still so young.
At 23, neither Dhoni nor Gilchrist had even made their debut for India and Australia respectively. Pant has always made 57 appearances for India so far including 13 Tests. There is ample time for him to turn things around and have a career that has long been envisioned by many.
While he will be getting advice from all quarters as to how to play the game, Pant will eventually need to find his own way. He was always a raw and unpolished talent when he was fast-tracked to the Indian team in 2018, but there is clearly a diamond there if he can be polished.
It’s too early to write him off or bemoan a lack of opportunities. It is foolish to make a judgement on him either way just yet, and it will be interesting to follow his development in the coming years.
