Comparison with Dhoni putting undue pressure on Pant, says coach

Pant’s childhood coach believes comparing his ward with Dhoni was just not fair.

Pant’s childhood coach Tarak Sinha, however, believes comparing his ward with a seasoned veteran like Dhoni was just not fair. “Such comparisons are cropping up because, like Dhoni, he (Pant) is also a wicketkeeper-batsman. But it’s unfair on him because it puts undue pressure for him to perform in a particular way and be like Dhoni. He performs the best when his mind is free,” Sinha said.

Fans in the stadium on the night of Mohali ODI booed Pant and started chanting 'Dhoni Dhoni' as the 21-year-old missed the important stumping of Ashton Turner who turned out to be the match-winner on the night.



Pointing out that comparison between a legend and a young cricketer is wrong, Sinha went on to add, “There’s a difference between the Pant of today and Dhoni 14-years-ago when he was making his way into the Indian team. Back then, he did not come with the kind of baggage like Pant has. There wasn’t any legendary wicket-keeper whom he was replacing. The guys back then were either Dinesh Karthik or Parthiv Patel, players younger to him. So, he (Dhoni) was free from the pressure and expectations that Pant is facing today."

Sinha also mentioned that even Dhoni has missed stumpings and dropped catches in his early days.

“Which keeper in the world hasn’t missed a catch or a stumping? Even Dhoni missed catches and stumpings at the start of his career. The good thing is that the selectors persisted with him and did not drop him after one season. He improved with time to become one of the greats of the game,” Sinha explained.

Pant and Karthik are two wicket-keeper batsmen who are fighting for the place in the Indian team for World Cup 2019 as a backup wicket-keeping option for MS Dhoni. The mega event which will be hosted by England and Wales will begin on May 30.