Ricky Ponting expresses surprise at Rishabh Pant's exclusion from India's World Cup squad
What's the story?
India's young wicket-keeping batsman, Rishabh Pant, who did not make it to the World Cup 2019 squad of the Indian team has received immense support from all the fans and experts.
Today, his coach at Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting, opined that Pant should not be disappointed after his exclusion as he can play three or four World Cups in the future.
In case you didn't know...
Rishabh Pant was the front-runner to be the back-up keeper role in the 15 member World Cup squad of India. However, the selectors picked Dinesh Karthik ahead of Pant. In the press conference, chief selector MSK Prasad said that Rishabh Pant was 'almost there' in the squad.
Also Read: ICC World Cup 2019: Why Dinesh Karthik was chosen ahead of Rishabh Pant in the Indian squad
The heart of the matter
Ricky Ponting, who has been with the Delhi franchise of the Indian Premier League since 2018, believed that the 21-year-old left-hander deserved a place in the World Cup squad.
Ponting said:
"I was surprised when he was left out of the squad. I thought he'll be in and I thought he'll actually play in the starting eleven. I thought that someone like him batting at No. 4 or 5 in their side would have just been that sort of player who could have had that X-factor about him that could have been the difference between India and some other teams in the World Cup."
However, the former World Cup winner instructed Pant to stay positive about the future as he expects Pant to play in the next 3-4 World Cups. He wants Pant to focus on the Indian Premier League matches right now and try to win as many matches as possible for Delhi Capitals.
The teams are allowed to make changes in their 15-man squad until 23 May, but in Ponting's viewpoint, irrespective of the way Pant performs, he will not the make the cut to the World Cup squad.
Ponting added:
"I think it's really important now that he focuses on the little things that's going to make him a good player for us. There's nothing he can do now, obviously. Doesn't matter how many runs he scores from hereon until the World Cup starts, he can't get into that squad."
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What's next?
Rishabh Pant's exclusion from the World Cup squad means that the wicket-keeper batsman will now entirely focus on the Indian Premier League and try to perform his best for Delhi Capitals.