‘I was sceptical about his ability as keeper’: Ex-IND batter notes Rishabh Pant's improvement 'remarkable like Dhoni’

With the bat, Rishabh Pant put a 10 out of 10 show at Edgbaston, scoring a 111-ball 146 in the first inning and followed it up with another 50-plus knock in the second.

Rishabh Pant was one of the positive from the recent India vs England Test at Edgbaston, which the hosts won by seven wickets. Pant's dynamic approach with the bat, which saw the 24-year-old hit shots all around the park, helped India dictate the show for most part of the game before Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root swung the momentum back into England's favour.

India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant prepares to catch the ball during the 5th Test at Edgbaston (AP)

With the bat, Pant put a 10 out of 10 show, scoring a 111-ball 146 in the first inning and followed it up with another 50-plus knock in the second. While talks mostly revolved around Pant's batting, one area which caught the eye of ex-India batter Sanjay Manjrekar was his show behind the stumps.

Manjrekar was mighty impressed with Pant's glovework and he went on to draw a comparison between him and his predecessor and wicketkeeping legend MS Dhoni.

“I just love how seriously he has taken that (wicketkeeping) job. Because, after doing well with the bat, you can sometimes ease off. I was a little sceptical about his ability as a keeper, especially in these kind of conditions. The big news for India is the growth of Pant the wicketkeeper,” Manjrekar noted during an interaction on Sony Six, the official broadcaster of the India-England series.

“You don’t see him chattering much around the stumps. He has taken the job very seriously, and his improvement has been remarkable, just like Dhoni. How he sort of improved as a keeper. I loved his commitment because you can take this job a little easy while being so successful as a batter. It’s strikingly brilliant,” he added.

Pant completed four catches in bot the innings combined at Edgbaston.