'Someone needs to tell him he is wanted': Gambhir disappointed with team-management over Rishabh Pant treatment

India cricketer Rishabh Pant has been under some serious scrutiny after the wicket-keeper batsman failed to deliver with the bat for the national side over the past couple months. 

Pant was drafted in as Team India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman after former skipper MS Dhoni decided to make himself unavailable for India's West Indies series. 

The 21-year-old has failed to step up for India with the bat and fans have publicly shown their frustration over his poor shot selections.  

However, former India opener Gautam Gambhir has come forward in support of Pant and said that the team must make Pant feel wanted to boost his confidence.

"Personally, I have always backed Sanju Samson ahead of Rishabh for wicketkeeper-batsman's role but it is disappointing to see the team-management using words like "from fearless to careless", "wrap on Rishbah's knuckles" and "need for a backup of Rishabh". This is no way to handle a young human resource. Everyone wants him to play "sensible" cricket," Gambhir wrote in his column for TOI.

"I don't know what that means. What I do know is that the boy is now playing for survival rather than scoring runs. From the outside, it seems that his mindset is all over the place."

"Someone needs to put an arm around his shoulder and tell him that he is wanted in the team," Gambhir said.

Pant managed to score 19 runs against South Africa on Sunday before Bjorn Fortuin's floated delivery dismissed him during the IND-SA's third T20I match in Bengaluru.