Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid are in the saddle now: Vikram Rathour heaps praise on Indian youngster

A lot has changed in Indian cricket post the 2021 T20 World Cup, in the UAE. Since then, Rohit Sharma has taken charge of Team India across formats whereas Rahul Dravid succeeded Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the senior men’s team. While the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha have been dropped from the Test side, youngsters such as Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Md Siraj and KL Rahul are rising in stature with each series. 

Talking about Pant, the 24-year-old has seen massive growth in his international career since the India-Australia 2020-21 series Down Under. Since then, he has scored runs across all forms of the game and improved immensely as a wicketkeeper. Recently, India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour heaped praise on the Indian youngster and feels that he is now a matured cricketer who cannot be dropped easily. 

ALSO READ | ‘I was talking to Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni’ – Rishabh Pant recalls his tough phase before miraculous comeback

In this regard, Rathour told The Week, “He has suddenly grown up. Rohit and Dravid are in the saddle now, and he knows he is an important player in the India setup. He has now matured as a player. He is getting better and better, but there is still a long way to cover.”

ALSO READ | Virat Kohli reveals what he would do first if he woke up as Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo

Rathour also feels that Pant has it in him to succeed MS Dhoni and become the next finisher for Team India. Following Dhoni’s international retirement, the role of a finisher has been fulfilled by the likes of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, however, Rathour feels Pant is suited to make an impact lower down the order (despite being experimented to bat at No. 4).

“He will be a finisher at number five or six, he knows that. Nobody is pushing him to get a hundred in ODIs. He will always be an impact player and if he is consistently getting 40-50 and winning it for the team, then that is fine,” Rathour added.

Pant is currently involved with the Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2022 edition. Under him, DC have won and lost a game each after their opening two encounters in the 15th season.