Former India captain MS Dhoni is undoubtedly one of the legends of the game and has inspired many cricketers, not just in India but all around the world. Indian wicketkeeper-batsman and Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant is one such cricketer inspired by Dhoni, to the point that he revers him like a ‘God’.
Pant’s teammate in Delhi Ranji team and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Nitish Rana has revealed that the young wicketkeeper considers Dhoni ‘like a God’.
“He admires Mahi bhai a lot, to the extent that he sometimes says: ‘If there’s someone I want to see while awake and sleeping it will be Mahi bhai’. He has even said to me, ‘Why are people comparing me with Mahi bhai, I am not worthy of comparison’, and while folding his hands, ‘Stop comparing me with Mahi bhai, take my bat and everything else. I don’t want to play, but don't compare me with Mahi bhai’. He is like a God to him,” Rana was quoted as saying by India TV.
The 23-year-old Delhi wicketkeeper has been lauded by many as the next big thing in Indian cricket. According to Rana, it’s Pant’s self-belief that has taken him this far in his career.
“His strength is his self-belief. He never leaves that self-belief wherever he goes and whatever format he plays. I remember there was a time when people started criticizing him but he used to tell me: ‘I am just one big innings away, the day I play that, everyone will be silent and I believe I am going to play that innings very soon’. The next match, he made a hundred something, it was during the last (2018-19) Australian tour,” recalls Rana.
“Then he called me back and shared those memes and told me: ‘See, this is how people change. First, they used to say this and now see what they are saying’. He’s very positive in his life and has immense self-belief and that's his biggest strength,” added Rana.
