Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim feels that cricket experts have been very harsh in judging young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. The 23-year-old on numerous occasions has recieved flak for his shoddy work behind the stumps or for his inconsistency with the bat. However, Saba Karim believes that with time Pant's wicketkeeping skills will improve and said that "it’s his batting ability that will help him grow as a wicketkeeper".
Comparing Pant with MS Dhoni, Saba Karim said that the latter's keeping skills were not good during his initial days in international cricket, however, he developed into one of the best with experience.
"We, at times, are very harsh in assessing Rishabh Pant’s keeping. It’s a skill you acquire as you grow in confidence. Wicketkeeping is all about confidence, and the best part about Rishabh Pant is that it’s his batting ability that will help him grow as a wicketkeeper," he said in an interaction with Sportskeeda Live.
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"I go back to early days of MS Dhoni. When MS Dhoni first came into the Indian team as a wicketkeeper-batsman, his keeping ability was not up to the mark. It was his batting that benefitted his keeping. Once he cemented his place in the side through his batting exploits, he realised that he could improve his keeping skills," Saba Karim added.
"If you are batting well, it will help your wicketkeeping. They complement each other. In days to come, we will see the same kind of transformation with Rishabh Pant's keeping skills, as well."
"Having said so, he needs to work more on his technique, especially against spinners. R Sridhar is quite an accomplished coach, and I am sure he must be working closely with Pant. We need to give him some time," he further said.
After producing a match-winning innings to help India win the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar series, Rishabh Pant will be seen in action in upcoming Tests against England, which begins on Friday.
