India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant named MS Dhoni is his favourite batting partner, saying the World Cup-winning former captain makes batting easy for him when the two are out in the middle.
Rishabh Pant said when MS Dhoni is out there as his batting partner, everything seems sorted and that he has to do nothing else but follow the veteran wicketkeeper’s plans.
Speaking to Delhi Capitals in an online interaction, Pant rued that he only gets limited opportunities to bat with Dhoni.
“My favourite batting partner is Dhoni but it’s very rare that I get the chance to bat with him. If he’s out there, everything is sorted. He lays out the plan and you just have to follow it. The way his mind works, especially during run-chases, is amazing,” Pant said.
Pant, who has played 13 Tests, 16 ODIs and 28 T20Is, said he loves to understand the mindset of senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma when batting with them in tense situations.
“I enjoy batting with Virat bhai and Rohit bhai. Whenever you are batting with any of these seniors, it’s a different experience altogether. You have fun with them. You realise how their mind works. It’s a different chemistry… even with (Shreyas) Iyer and Shiki bhai (Shikhar Dhawan) in the IPL,” Pant said.
Pant is being seen as a potential successor to MS Dhoni but the young wicketketkeeper’s performances have been far from impressive. Pant lost his place in the T20I side to KL Rahul during India’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year and struggled to impress in the Tests as well.
