Dropped From 1st Test, Pant Training Under Kiran More To Fine-Tune His Skills

According to reports, More has confirmed the development, mentioning that it wasn't an official appointment from the BCCI, but rather a case of the two working on and off

Young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been under fire for his poor shot selection in recent games. Not only the cricket pundits but fans across the country criticised his approach with the bat. Eventually, he was benched for the first Test against South Africa as the team management chose to go with Wriddhiman Saha. While this move is being considered as a warning to the 21-year-old, it has been learned that the youngster is already working on improving his skills under the guidance of former India stumper Kiran More. As reported by news agency IANS, the team wants the youngster to fine-tune his keeping against the turning ball. “There isn't anything to read into the move and the team feels that Pant just needs to fine-tune his keeping skills a bit when it comes to Indian conditions in red-ball cricket and that is why he has been working with More on those aspects,” the agency quoted a source from Indian team management as saying. On the other hand, More has also confirmed the news, mentioning that it wasn't an official appointment from the BCCI, but rather a case of the two working on and off. “We don't have a schedule, it is on and off and not official. We just share a good relation,” said More. The former Indian selector has always backed former India skipper M.S. Dhoni and feels that Pant has an enviable record. “He is keeping really well and I see a lot of improvement. He has got 53 dismissals in 11 Test matches and that is almost 5 dismissals per game. Every day you play, every day you grow. He has come up really well. The basics are very important and he has been working on that,” More pointed. While many believe that Pant's keeping is a work in progress, More begs to differ. “He has been playing for India for the last one and a half years. Everybody has their perception, but for me, he is ready. You can go through my record after 11 games, he has a fantastic record,” he said.