Pant Needs To Understand His Role Looking At World T20: Sangakkara

According to former Sri Lanka player Sangakkara, what Rishabh Pant needs to do is to keep things simple and not take any pressure

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara believes it is important for a young talent like Rishabh Pant to understand his weaknesses as a batsman and improve his wicket-keeping skills ahead of T20I World Cup in Australia next year. "If you are looking at the World Cup it's important for him (Pant) to understand what his role is in terms of helping his captain with the right information," Sangakkara said speaking at the Nerolac Cricket Live show on Star Sports. "However, at the same time as a wicketkeeper, it's important to be neat and tidy behind the stumps which will give him confidence and put him in a better position to help his captain in calling for reviews," he added. According to Sangakkara, what Pant needs to do is to keep things simple and not take any pressure. "It's important for him to keep things simple and understand his weakness. Once he is able to work on these areas he needs to strategize and plan, because for him right now he needs to keep things simple and not be under pressure," said Sangakkara. "It's also important for someone to talk to him on his batting and keep him off the pressure and let him be free with his game," he added. Aussie great and former captain Adam Gilchrist has also advised Pant not to emulate Dhoni but to work on improving his own game and being the best version of himself. "I'm not big on comparisons, like I have said before. I think Indians fans shouldn't be trying to compare him to Dhoni. Dhoni has set such a high benchmark. One day someone might match it but it is probably unlikely," Gilchrist said. "Rishabh looks like a very talented young player. Just don't put too much pressure on him too early and expect that he's going to produce Dhoni-like performances every day. "My advice to Rishabh Pant will be: learn everything you can from Dhoni. Don't try to be Dhoni. Just try to be the best Rishabh Pant you can," the 47-year-old added.