Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is a very talented cricketer and he has shown glimpses of his class while batting for the Indian team and also for his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.
But the 21-year-old cricketer has been continuously failing to make it big for the Men in Blue since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Pant came into the picture after he was called up as a replacement of Vijay Shankar in the World Cup. The 21-year-old performed pretty well in the matches he was picked for and proved his worth. But after the quadrennial tournament got over his form has taken a sudden dip and it seems that he is not living up to the expectations.
The cricketing fans and experts have criticised the youngster for beeing irresponsibly throwing away his wicket. Most of them mentioned that the cricketer has a temperament problem and he is not efficiently using the chances he is getting.
The 21-year-old has been criticised as people blamed him for not valuing his wicket and playing reckless shots which have resulted in trouble for the Men in Blue.
What is wrong with Pant?
There may be many reasons behind the poor performances of the cricketer. The Indian selectors after the end of the World Cup stated that Pant is the future and he is going to fill in the boots of the aged Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Indian chief selector MSK Prasad had also mentioned that Pant is the first choice wicketkeeper whereas Dhoni will stay with the team as the second choice looking at the future of Indian cricket. The role of the 38-year-old for captain will be to guide the 21-year-old till he gets matured. But Dhoni has not joined the Indian squad yet amid all the speculations of him opting for retirement.
Moreover, the pressure of filling in the boots of such a stalwart like Dhoni can definitely put a lot of pressure on the young Pant and he might not be able to cope up with the pressure.
The 21-year-old cricketer also stated that it is a huge responsibility to fill in the boots of Dhoni and he will try to achieve what the former has achieved. This pressure of expectations can be one of the root causes behind his dip in form.
On the other hand, the cricket fans have added onto his misery by continuously criticising him and asking the team management why the youngster is getting so many chances.
After the poor performance in the West Indies series barring one match-winning innings, Pant was even criticised by his head coach. Ravi Shastri had mentioned before the South Africa series that Pant needs to mend his ways as he would be scolded if he throws away his wicket.
Moreover, Virat Kohli also mentioned that the youngsters need to get their mind in place and focus on performing for the team as they will get limited opportunities. The Indian captain said that as they are making the team for the upcoming ICC World T20 it is very important for the youngsters to secure their place in the team, these statements of Kohli might be indirectly stated for Pant who got a lot of chances to perform.
This might have piled a lot of pressure on the already pressurised and out of form Pant and pushed him to the edge which is a nightmare for any youngster. Players like Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan are also in the line for the post of the Indian wicketkeeper.
All these issues can be the cause behind Pant's dip in his form as he might not be able to tackle so much pressure and perform due to lack of experience.
The cricketer might need some time to get back in form and it depends on the team management how many chances will he be given on the basis of the glimpses of potential he has shown. The final T20 fixture against South Africa may turn out to be the most important match of his career.
