Sourav Ganguly Defends Rishabh Pant, Says He Is A Superb Player

Rishabh Pant, who was mercilessly trolled for his wicketkeeping skills in the first two Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) against Bangladesh, will mature with time, believes BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. The former India captain urged the fans to be patient with Pant as he is still in the learning phase. "He's a superb player. Give Rishabh Pant time, he will be fine," Ganguly said on Friday. Asked if India are missing MS Dhoni behind the stumps, Ganguly said that the team and fans must give time to the 21-year-old Pant. "He will mature slowly, you have to give him time. India played really well last night," Ganguly added.

Pant, who had a forgettable outing in Delhi due to his DRS howlers, was at the receiving end in Rajkot as well.

After India's stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma opted to bowl in his 100th T20I match, Liton Das and Mohammad Naim gave Bangladesh a solid start.

In the 6th over bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal, Liton Das charged down the track but was totally beaten by the turn. It was an easy stumping chance for Pant, but the delivery was declared a no-ball.

Third umpire Anil Chaudhary gave a lifeline to Liton Das as Pant had grabbed the ball slightly in front of the stumps.

As expected, fans trolled Rishabh Pant and asked for the return of veteran MS Dhoni, who is currently on a sabbatical from cricket.

Pant, however, redeemed himself as he ran Liton Das out in the 8th over for 29 runs.

Then in the 13th over, Pant managed another stumping and it looked very close this time as well.

The giant screen showed Soumya Sarkar was not out but the decision was changed to out just seconds later.

As far as the series is concerned, Rohit Sharma helped India draw level with Bangladesh as the hosts won by 8 wickets.

The 3rd and final T20I will be played in Nagpur on Sunday.

(With PTI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Bangladesh Cricket Team India vs Bangladesh Rishabh Pant Sourav Ganguly Cricket