Before India left for the West Indies tour, Rishabh Pant became the talking point in cricket. The batsman wicket-keeper is rumoured to be MS Dhoni’s replacement when Dhoni took a 2-month sabbatical for his military training. 

But Pant disappointed the selectors when he performed poorly the West Indies tour. Pant wasn’t able to score significant figures during the cricket matches against West Indies. 

Batting coach Vikram Rathour advised Pant to think before he bats. 

‘I think he is a phenomenal player. There is no doubt about that. But what he needs to do is to sort his game plan. He needs to be more disciplined and all the young players like him need to understand that there is a fine line between fearless cricket and careless cricket’.

‘What team management is asking from them is to be fearless. About having a clear game plan and playing with intent. Focus should be batting to your strength and at the same time, one cannot be careless. I am sure they have started to understand that’, he said.

Pant’s attempt to chase spinner Fabian Allen during the first ball while India still needed 162 runs during the third ODI cricket match was seen as carelessness by some experts. 

During an interview, head coach Ravi Shastri mentioned that innings and said that Pant should improve his game.

‘We’ll let him be but at times when you see a shot, like the first-ball dismissal in Trinidad, if he repeats that, then he will be told. There will be a rap on the knuckles, talent or no talent. As simple as that. Because you are letting the team down, forget letting yourselves down. In a situation where you have the captain at the other end, a target to chase, the need of the hour is sensible cricket’.

‘Of course, we want Rishabh to play all his shots. He needs to be fearless because that’s what makes him special. He is an impact player. At the same time, he cannot afford to be careless. That’s all. He needs to understand the difference between that’, he added.

India cricket team is currently on to their assignment which is South Africa’s tour of India. Cricket live scores during the first T20I was not available due to the first T20i cricket match being washed out.