Rishabh Pant has learned from his mistakes against South Africa: Sunil Gavaskar hails Indian batter

It was a Rishabh Pant show at the Emirates Old Trafford on Sunday as India clinched the final One Day International by five wickets. The wicketkeeper-batter played a sensational knock of unbeaten 125 runs off 113 balls to help India win the series by 2-1.

Pant’s performance in the series decider has left the cricket fraternity impressed. Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar is one of the many veterans who have been singing praises for the 24-year-old.

Gavaskar spoke highly of the wicketkeeper-batter for his approach on the field in the pressure situation. Pant is often criticised for playing attacking cricket right from the start and losing his wicket to a rash shot.

Gavaskar lauds Pant for his maturity in ODIs

However, that was not the case on Sunday. The youngster absorbed the pressure during the run chase and played sensibly. Lauding Pant, Gavaskar reflected on the improvements made by the youngster since the five-match T20I series against South Africa last month. 

"Rishabh Pant seems to have learned from his mistakes against South Africa. He chased balls outside off stump to slog them over the leg side then, but the way he batted with responsibility yesterday shows how well he paced his innings.

"The way he smashed a flurry of boundaries towards the end showed that he is someone who can absorb pressure and then attack," Gavaskar said while speaking to Sports Tak. 

Also Read: 'Rishabh Pant is great to watch' – Jos Buttler praises Indian keeper after explosive ton

Gavaskar backs Pant to do well in T20Is

Rishabh Pant is an indispensable asset for India in the longest format of the game. Every Test the batter plays, he smashes new records to inch closer to becoming the best wicketkeeper batter around. However, the 24-year-old has often failed to replicate the same performance in white-ball cricket.

Pant is yet to play a fine knock in the shortest format of the game. He lacks maturity in T20Is as he often losses his wicket while playing rash shots. 

"We will need to wait and see (whether Pant is able to replicate this form in T20Is). He might have found the right template to play white ball cricket.

"In T20s you have to start playing from third gear and move into fifth gear, so it is very different from ODIs. We need to be patient with Pant and realize that he will win us games when he is set, while sometimes there will be failures,” Gavaskar added. 

Rishabh to do well during the West Indies tour

Furthermore, Gavaskar backed Pant to do well in the upcoming T20I series against West Indies. The veteran cited an example of how Hardik Pandya has matured as a batter. The former skipper believes that Pant will follow the same path as Pandya. 

Giving more and more game time to the wicketkeeper-batter in the shortest format will help him understand his game better.