"There are other options like Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik" - Parthiv Patel on Rishabh Pant's future in Indian T20I side
Parthiv Patel recently stated that Rishabh Pant will be under pressure to retain his place in India's T20 side when senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul return.
He mentioned that Rishabh Pant's place may not be certain as the likes of Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik have been doing well in the shortest format. Patel made these remarks while speaking on Cricbuzz after India's home T20I series against South Africa.
The former cricketer pointed out that Sanju Samson also has a significant chance of making a name for himself in the upcoming two-match T20I series in Ireland.
According to Patel, Pant must come up with improved batting performances as there is a lot of competition for the wicket-keeper's spot.
"The pressure will increase on Pant when the likes of Kohli, Rohit and Rahul return. Also, there will be a series before the England tour begins and and Sanju Samson has a chance of doing well there. There are also other options like Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik."
Patel suggested that the left-hander tries to hit the ball too hard at times. He opined that the 24-year-old shouldn't always look to hit monstrous sixes and should rather work on his shot selection.
"Pant has said that he gives his 100% all the time, but every player does that. When it comes to his shot selection, it is not necessary to hit the ball out of the stadium. It will still be a six if the ball just crosses the rope."
Pant, who was India's stand-in captain for the South Africa T20Is, failed to make an impact with the bat. The southpaw managed just 58 runs from four innings at an underwhelming strike rate of 105.45.
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"Rishabh Pant will get to learn a lot from Rohit Sharma during his vice-captaincy stint" - Ashish Nehra
Rishabh Pant will next be seen in action in the rescheduled one-off Test against England. He is expected to be Rohit Sharma's deputy for the assignment.
Ashish Nehra believes that the youngster will get to learn a lot from Sharma during the tour. The former India pacer feels that Pant must look to get better with every series as he is now a senior player.
He added that the player has been entrusted with a leadership role and should hence look to take care of other players apart from focusing on his own performances.
"Rishabh Pant will get to learn a lot from Rohit Sharma during his vice-captaincy stint. He has been leading Delhi Capitals for two years and will get better at it with time.
"Being a senior player, he should look to learn something new from every series. In a leadership role, apart from his individual performances, he also has to take care of other players."
The Test match between India and England is scheduled to be played from July 1 in Birmingham. The two cricketing giants will then battle it out in three T20Is and as many ODIs.