IND vs SL 2022: "Rishabh Pant will end up as one of the greats of Indian cricket alongside MS Dhoni" - Dinesh Karthik
Indian wicketkeeper and cricket expert Dinesh Karthik has made a bold claim about swashbuckling left-hander Rishabh Pant. Karthik believes Pant will end up as one of the best wicketkeepers India have ever produced alongside MS Dhoni.
The southpaw has had a sensational Test career so far, already notching four hundreds and playing a number of impactful knocks in 29 matches. One such knock came against Sri Lanka on Sunday, when he broke Kapil Dev's record to score the fastest Test fifty by an Indian.
FIFTY!
@RishabhPant17 surpasses Kapil Dev to score the fastest 50 by an Indian in Test cricket. It has come off 28 deliveries.
Take a bow, Rishabh 👏💪💥
Live - bit.ly/INDvSL-2NDTEST #INDvSL @Paytm https://t.co/YcpJf2sp2H
Speaking to Cricbuzz after the end of play on Day 2, Dinesh Karthik stated that if Pant remained injury-free, he would certainly topple multiple records in his career. Karthik said:
"You have to say that Rishabh Pant is on his way to greatness. I think if he has a full-fledged wicketkeeping career for India, he will end up being one of the greats along with MS Dhoni. These two will stand out as India's greatest wicketkeepers who have played the game."
#RishabhPant after hitting fastest fifty by indian in #INDvSL https://t.co/EXbnHRdarh
Rishabh Pant reminds me of Virender Sehwag: Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik compared Rishabh Pant's ability to have an impact on the game with that of former legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag. Like Sehwag, Pant too has the ability to hit fours and sixes almost at will and toy with the opposition bowling line-up.
On Pant's impact in Test cricket, here's what Karthik had to say:
"Rishabh Pant has the game to take risks and consistently be good at it. Also he reminds me of Virender Sehwag, in the sense that when the field is up, he has the ability to hit boundaries at ease right from the get-go and that makes him a very special Test player. Test cricket in many ways is a boundary-hitting format for him."
Pant has been dismissed in the 90s a massive five times in Test cricket. If he starts converting them into big hundreds, one can only imagine the scary numbers that the 24-year-old could potentially put up in the future.