Rishabh Pant who is in form after the India-Australia Test series was dropped for the ODIs and replaced by MS Dhoni.
Rishabh Pant who is in form after the India-Australia Test series was dropped for the ODIs and replaced by MS Dhoni.
Former India wicket-keeper Farokh Engineer has questioned selectors about this decision and why he was dropped from the limited overs squad.
Rishabh Pant who reminds Engineer of his young days scored a blazing hundred, the first by an Indian wicketkeeper in Australia.
He also created a new record by taking 11 catches by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test in Australia.
“Question is, for the World Cup will you pick Dhoni? How can you drop Pant? He’s done so well. These are the questions for the selectors the three selectors who between them must have played one and a half Tests,” he said at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai reported PTI.
According to Engineer, the Delhi youngster needed to fine tune the technical aspects of keeping. “I don’t want to sound harsh. Give him time. He [Pant] will improve. I wish I could have a couple of times with him to make him a good wicketkeeper,” Engineer added.
Explaining his point further, Engineer said that Pant snatches the ball, gets up too early and does not move his feet.
“A good wicketkeeper moves his feet, goes to the ball and does not dive all the time; uses his feet all the time,” he said.
“He’s young he will learn from mistakes. Wicket-keeping is not taught, it’s a natural thing. He has to iron out certain elementary things. I love his approach, but the way he got out in the first Test when India were in trouble... He got out to a stupid shot. If he had done that in our time he would not have played another Test. But he buckled down later. He’s such a good, natural player. I wish him all the luck. I am sure his wicketkeeping will improve,” he added.
The Mumbai-born stumper of the 1960s and 1970s also said that, “Dhoni was the same, was dropping straight forward balls. Sachin [Tendulkar] brought him over to me in England when I was commentating. I said what do you do and he said - I see the ball, take my eyes off it anticipating it to come into the gloves and I said ‘you should watch the ball right till it comes into the glove’”.
On the wicket-keeping scenario, Engineer said, “There are no wicket-keeper batsmen; all are batsmen-wicket keepers who can score runs and also keep wickets. In Test cricket, you can’t afford to drop a catch. It does not come often,” he said.
Engineer also praised the Indian team for creating history by winning a Test series win on Australian soil and becoming the first from the subcontinent to claim it.
“I had a lovely text message from Ravi Shastri when I sent a congratulatory message. He has done a terrific job. He, Virat Kohli, our pace bowlers and how can I forget [Cheteshwar] Pujara? He’s a stone-waller, the get-me-out, come-to-me sort of [batsman]. He tired out all the [Australian] bowlers. People like Pant and Virat capitalised on the tired bowlers,” he said.
“And Australia were without [the banned Steve] Smith and [David] Warner. But it was not our fault they were not available. All credit to our team, specially the pace bowlers. They achieved something which we couldn’t. But we played against some khadoos [stubborn] elevens and most of these players would not make those teams,” Engineer added.
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