Former Indian cricket team batting coach Sanjay Bangar said that young Rishabh Pant is the most suitable option for former wicketkeeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the national team, as the left-handed batsman provides good balance to the team in the middle order that's filled with right-handed batsmen. Pant is in great form in IPL-13. This Delhi Capitals batsman has scored 171 runs in five matches so far.
Two-time World Cup winning skipper MS Dhoni, who played his last international match for India in the 2019 World Cup last year, has retired from international cricket on August 15 this year.
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Rishabh Pant's performance in Test cricket has been excellent. The 23-year-old explosive wicketkeeper batsman has had a great performance in Test cricket. In 13 Tests, Pant has scored 814 runs at an average of 38.76. This includes two centuries and two half-centuries.
"In terms of wicket-keeping, I think it would be Rishabh Pant. I think the way he started this year's IPL and I think it is very important to have a left-hander as an option because for Team India when it comes to the middle-order as it helps to balance out the right-handers," said Bangar while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
Meanwhile, former India pacer Ashish Nehra also supported Bangar's point of view on Pant and said: "I am in total agreement with Sanjay Bangar. I think they should go ahead with Rishabh Pant. Pant should be backed. Every player needs to be backed when it comes to international cricket."
However, he has not been able to perform as expected in limited overs cricket so far. In 16 ODIs, Pant has scored 374 runs at an average of just 26.71. At the same time, he has 410 runs in 27 T20 matches at an average of 20.5.