India vs Australia: Stop searching for MS Dhoni-the keeper in Rishabh Pant - Aakash Chopra

Social media was up in arms against Pant and equated his keeping to Dhoni, a comparison which did not go down too well with former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra, who defended the inclusion of Pant in the Indian squad.

The Indian selectors rested MS Dhoni for the final two matches against Australia in order to test young Rishabh Pant before the World Cup. However, the young man struggled behind the stumps in Mohali and missed a couple of stumpings which did not help India’s cause.

Mohali: Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant misses a stumping chance against Australian batsman Peter Handscomb during the 4th ODI cricket match, in Mohali, Sunday, March 10, 2019 (PTI)

It did not help him that with each mistake, the crowd started chanting Dhoni’s name, but for the young man, it was a day to be forgotten. Social media was up in arms against Pant and equated his keeping to Dhoni, a comparison which did not go down too well with former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra, who defended the inclusion of Pant in the Indian squad.

“Stop searching Dhoni-the keeper in Rishabh Pant. He’s work in progress. The question should be—Is he worth investing in?

“Also, bear in mind that IF Pant is picked for the World Cup, he WONT be playing ahead of Dhoni. And he WONT be keeping. So...it’s kinda unfair to judge him purely as a keeper. I thought he played a fairly decent knock today. Struck well,” he added.

After the match, captain Virat Kohli spoke about the lapses in the field and how it played a part in India’s loss.

“We were sloppy in the field. We were not at our best, and we should have grabbed those chances and made the most of the opportunity when it came by,” Kohli said at the post-match press conference.