'They fear him a lot because he could change the game in a session': Dinesh Karthik lauds Rishabh Pant

India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik spoke very highly of his counterpart Rishabh Pant, who debuted for India during India's last tour of England.

Team India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has grown at a meteoric rate to cement his place in the team. Only until a few months back, he was heavily criticized for his glovework but ever since India's tour of Australia Down Under, Pant improved massively in both departments. He has replaced India's former Test mainstay wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha who lost his place due to uninspiring returns with the bat. (FULL WTC COVERAGE)

File Photo of Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant in action for India. (Twitter)

That's not it. He is slowly becoming an abled leader. During the first half of IPL 2021, before the tournament was postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis in India, the southpaw led Delhi Capitals to the top of the table with six wins from eight matches. While captaining the side in the absence of the injured Shreyas Iyer, he also scored 213 runs in eight games.

Delhi cricketer Pant continues to earn rich praise from the cricket fraternity for his recent exploits. The latest to join the bandwagon is his counterpart Dinesh Karthik, who is currently in the UK for a commentary stint. He, along with Sunil Gavaskar, will call the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

While speaking to News18, Tamil Nadu captain Karthik spoke very highly of Pant, who debuted for India during India's last tour of England. Karthik, too, was a part of the squad. While speaking about his growth, Karthik observed that international teams fear him a lot because he could change the game in a session.

"Rishabh Pant is a great case of what confidence can do to you. The fact that he has done so well in the IPL and for India ‘A’, you can see the confidence coming off every time he plays for the country. Now he has grown and become one of those front-runners in the batting where you can see a lot of the international teams talking about him saying they fear him a lot because he could change the game in a session and that is great place for India to be. Wriddhiman Saha is a phenomenal wicketkeeper. To me, he is one of the best ’keepers in the world. It’s just that Pant has come a long way with his batting and contributed so much that has made Saha sit outside the team," said Karthik.

Pant, along with the Virat Kohli-led Indian team, is currently under quarantine in Southampton, England. The entire contingent, including the support and coaching staff, and the women's team, checked in at the Hilton Hotel on June 3.

The hotel is located on the premises of the Ageas Bowl, the venue for the grand finale. They will first play the WTC final against Kane Williamson's New Zealand between June 18 and 22 in Southampton. After that, they will lock horns with the host country in a five-match Test series.