The Indian selectors believe they need to give a long rope to Rishabh Pant and they believe he can be used as a floater in the batting order. With the World Cup a couple of months away, they have shunned Dinesh Karthik and have roped in Pant as the second wicket-keeper in the mix.
Chief selector MSK Prasad has dropped a hint that the left-hander can be used as an opener, an option which has already been endorsed by Shane Warne and Sunil Gavaskar. While Warne believes a combination of Pant and Rohit will be 'sexy', Gavaskar thinks it will be an aggressive move.
However, if the balance of the side is anything to go by, Virat Kohli will return ar number three, Ambati Rayudu will bat at four, which leaves numbers 5 and 6 open between MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant. The young man has now said that he wants to bat higher up the order in order to be more expressive.
'Team combination is important'
"As a batsman, I would always like to bat as high as possible but the team combination is also very important," said Pant. Well, he will get a chance to stake his claim when he strides out for the Delhi Capitals this season.
However, at a young age, when he is being lapped up everywhere, the southpaw wants to focus on his own game and not be too perturbed by social media.
"You need to be careful about social media. Once you are well known, your personal space shrinks. You will get a lot of praise but one should also be aware that you will have to deal with negativity," he said.
Speaking about the turning point in his career, Pant says that the century at the Oval in the final Test of the England series gave him the sense of belief that he could succeed at the international level and has since, gone on to work very hard on his game.
"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," he observed.
