Rishabh Pant undaunted by comparisons with MS Dhoni

19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is focused on reviving his side Delhi Daredevils, and remains unfazed by comparisons with former Indian captain and the best wicketkeeper from the country MS Dhoni. Under the guidance of coach Rahul Dravid, the youngster had impressed one and all in the Under-19 World Cup.

Pant, who recently lost his father, then endured through the grief to come back and score a valiant 57 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, the runs have been hard to come by, as Pant has failed to get to double figures in the last 3 games. As for the Delhi Daredevils, they are languishing at the bottom of the table with just 4 points in the bag.

Despite the team’s losses and his dry run with the bat, the BCCI has offered Rishabh Pant a central contract. He was also handed the Delhi captaincy for the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament. Pant, however, wants to focus on helping the struggling Daredevils to get back to winning ways.

“I don’t think much about all the comparisons. My focus has always been playing cricket and doing well. I just need to grab the chances and prove my mettle. IPL is a brilliant platform. We have seen people gaining attention by playing in IPL,” Pant said.

Due to a lack of runs, the left-hander has been compared to a younger MS Dhoni. In the last three games, Pant has scored just 6 runs and has got out for two ducks. Karun Nair’s failure as opener perhaps calls for his promotion to the top. A naturally attacking batsman he could well go on to open the innings with Sanju Samson, who’s currently in fine form.

Pant, however, said, “My role in the team is to score runs and give my best when on the field. It doesn’t matter at which number I am batting. Right now, my team demands that I finish the games batting in the middle order. The T20 format is tricky, and you have to deliver whether you play in the top order or middle order.”

A floundering Delhi Daredevils side will look to defeat the Kings XI Punjab to keep themselves afloat in the IPL 2017.