'There's no point in forcing Pant...': Kohli's childhood coach gives unique advice to Dravid and Co. before 2nd Test

Rishabh Pant scored 46 off 45 balls in the 1st innings as Virat Kohli-starrer Team India posted 404 in 133.5 overs. The KL Rahul-led side thrashed Bangladesh by 188 runs in the series opener at Chattogram.

India were staring at a shocking batting collapse when the Rohit Sharma-less side lost Virat Kohli in the 1st innings of the series opener against Bangladesh at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Rescuing the visitors with premier batter Cheteshwar Pujara, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant counterattacked the Bangladeshi bowlers as the Indian southpaw ended up playing a quick-fire knock for the visitors. However, Pant failed to cash in on his start and the star wicketkeeper-batter was even called out by netizens following his dismissal.

India's Virat Kohli, left, speaks to Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto, second left, as India's Kuldeep Yadav, right and Rishabh Pant leave the ground (AP)

Pant ended up dragging Mehidy Hasan's good length delivery back onto his stumps to miss out on an entertaining half-century in the 1st Test. Talking about Pant's recent performances ahead of the upcoming 2nd Test match between India and Bangladesh, Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma urged the youngster to take more calculative risks while counterattacking the opposition bowlers.

Speaking to India News, Kohli's childhood coach also shared a bit of interesting advice for the Indian think tank. Sharma feels there's no point in forcing Pant to play responsible cricket. "When Rishabh Pant's shots come off, people call him a match-winner. But when he is caught a couple of feet inside the boundary, people call him irresponsible. I feel when you have such a stroke player, you should take the chance and let him play his natural game. There's no point in forcing him to play responsibly. I just hope he takes more calculative risks because he is a senior player in the team now," Rajkumar said.