Hard work paying off for Pant, says skipper Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli has every reason to feel vindicated for sticking with Rishabh Pant after his impressive glovework on a challenging track in the second Test against England, removed any doubts about his wicketkeeping ability.

Kohli has opted for the explosive batting and matchwinning ability of Pant ahead of the assured keeping of veteran Wriddhiman Saha for the Test side, with the skipper optimistic Pant’s skills behind the wicket would improve with time.

In Chennai, Pant plucked a pair of one-handed catches out of the air in England’s first innings and delivered two acrobatic stumpings in the second, despite the pitch offering significant spin and bounce.

“He has really worked hard. When he moves with the gloves you can see that difference in his reactions and reflexes,” Kohli said after India’s series-levelling victory on Tuesday.

“He’s shed a lot of weight and he’s become quicker on his feet, and it’s showing.

“The way he kept on this pitch with so much turn and bounce was a credit to him for working so hard.

“We want him to keep improving as a keeper, get stronger with his skill sets, because we understand how much value he brings.”

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said it was important to focus on the positives with players such as Pant if they were to fulfil their potential.

“Rishabh Pant was always going to be a good cricketer; he was always going to improve,” Ashwin, named man-of-thematch award for his all-round display, said.

“Only if we back them in such a way that they can improve, will they improve faster. But if you are going to find faults, cricketers are going to take that much longer to improve.

“It is more of a mindset issue for us. We can see a lot of positives, but we tend to choose the negatives. If we see a lot more positives, we will see a lot more champion cricketers.”