Rishabh Pant instils fear in the opposition, says Dinesh Karthik

Team India wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has hailed fellow stumper, Rishabh Pant, as a very special player, with words of praise for his performances while representing the national team. Pant played a crucial role in helping India record a massive Test series win away from home in Australia, making his presence felt with exceptional gameplay. The emerging youngster is expected to be a key member of the Team India squad for the upcoming final of the maiden edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) against New Zealand, as well as the five-match Test series in England.

“He has got a terrific head on his shoulders. I think with the limited technical skill he has, he gets a lot of runs. He optimises, he instils fear in the opposition because of the audacious shots he plays and they end up spreading the field but still he ends up scoring runs, be it the red-ball or white-ball format,” said the veteran in an exclusive interview with Sports Today.

“He is a very special player. He is somebody who is going constantly help Indian cricket move on to greater heights,” he added.

“Rishabh has put up some fabulous performances”

Karthik termed Pant as a player who he expected to feature as an integral part of Indian cricket, going on to play 100 Tests.

“I think, in the short while that Rishabh has been around, he has put up some fabulous performances, he has played in some real high-pressure games. Be it the World Cup final, be it the IPL final and the beauty is he has done well in a lot of these games, personally. I think he is someone who is always up for the challenge, in the IPL final he got a fifty. I remember, a couple of years ago, he won a game single-handedly for Delhi Capitals, I think it was the eliminator. In these crunch games, he has always found ways to get runs. That shows his ability to handle pressure. He really thrives under pressure. He played some fabulous innings for India in the last couple of series against Australia and England,” said the veteran.

“I have no doubt that he will be an integral part of Indian cricket and be one of those who is going to play 100 Tests and a lot of white-ball cricket for India as well,” added Karthik.