MS Dhoni has been a supportive figure for me since my IPL debut: Rishabh Pant

Delhi’s young wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant received his maiden call-up to the Indian Test team for the five-match Test series against England. Pant has been named in the 18-member squad after an impressive performance in the recently concluded edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 and also in the ‘A’ tour to England.

He is the second wicket-keeper batsman in the Test squad along with an experienced Dinesh Karthik, who is also part of Indian team in the upcoming series. starting with the 1st Test match from August 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. During a recent interview, Pant revealed how the former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has played a huge supportive role in improving his wicket-keeping skills since his initial IPL days.

Dhoni was always there when I needed some support: Pant

The flamboyant Delhi batsman recently smashed a couple of half-centuries in the four-day clash between India A and the England Lions side. Pant mentioned that Dhoni has always supported him since his early days leading to his IPL debut for the Delhi Daredevils. The former Indian Test skipper helped the 20-year old to improve his wicket-keeping skills and many such areas to improve his game.

“Whenever I needed any support from Mahi bhai, I used to ask him. From my IPL contract to my wicket-keeping, he’s advised me on everything,” said Pant in an interview with bcci.tv.

Dhoni teaches some key wicket-keeping skills to young Pant

Pant revealed that Dhoni had advised him initially that in order to be a good wicket-keeper, the coordination between the hand and the head is extremely important. He mentioned that the body also needs to be in a proper balance. The youngster also noted that the veteran wicket-keeper batsman’s advises helped him a lot to excel in all-round skills.

“He’s always told me that when it comes to wicket-keeping, your hands and head coordination is important, the body balance can come into play later. That (his advice) has helped me a lot,” added the left-handed Delhi batsman.

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