Rishabh Pant is a different player now as compared to what he used to be when he first arrived at the international scene. He is much better now with his shot selections and his wicket-keeping has improved as well. India skipper Rohit Sharma echoed the same thoughts after their 2-0 win in the Test series against Sri Lanka that concluded recently.

“His batting is his batting. We know how he bats and as a team we just want to give him that freedom to bat in the way that he wants to bat. But also keeping in mind certain situations of the game, where the game is going, we have also conveyed that to him, but we want to stick with his game plan as a team. It just seems to get better and get better – his game plans,” Rohit said in the post-match press conference.

Pant scored 185 runs in the two Tests against Sri Lanka and his runs came at an outstanding strike-rate of 120.12. That includes an innings of 90-odd runs in the first Test and a record-breaking fifty in the second match, which broke Kapil Dev’s 40-year-old record.

“There will be times when you will smash your head and say ‘why did he play that shot’ but again we need to be ready to accept that with him when he bats. And he is somebody who can change the game in 40 minutes,” Rohit added.

The Indian skipper was also full of praise for Pant’s keeping. Rohit mentioned that the youngster’s wicket-keeping was one of the most significant factors in their series win. It was also the best he has seen Pant doing and he seems to be improving with every game. Rohit also hailed the 24-year-old’s DRS Calls in the series.

“And also the DRS calls, seems to be making the right calls. DRS, we all know – it’s like a lottery. I have made it very clear with Rishabh what I want. There are certain aspects of the game that I have told him to look into and that’s about it. DRS calls are not something you will always get it right. There will be times when you will be making wrong calls. But that’s absolutely okay,” Rohit added.