Rishabh Pant can be a legend if he keeps up his work ethic: MSK Prasad

Rishabh Pant en route his 78 during the third ODI at Pune on Sunday. Pic/AFP

Apart from the Indian team management, former BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad's heart is also swelling with pride seeing the dramatic turnaround in Rishabh Pant's career.

With his performances in the last two international series (v Australia and England), the explosive wicketkeeper-batsman has finally lived up to his potential of being a match-winner for Team India. Pant has showed how fortunes can change dramatically with a few good performances. He arrived in Australia last November after a timid IPL. He didn't start in the ODI series and was dropped from the playing XI in the T20I series - his most preferred format. Pant didn't figure in the first day-night Test at Adelaide Oval which India lost by eight wickets. He was drafted in the XI for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne, where he scored 29 and took four catches. From thereon, the pint-sized dynamite has not looked back.

‘Pant needed some shock'

Prasad believed an "overweight" Pant needed some shock treatment from the team management when he was not considered for the ODI and T20 series against Australia. "When you are pushed into a corner, you have only one way to go, that is to bounce back strong. He was pushed so hard, to the extent that he realised where he is lacking, what's missing in his game.

MSK Prasad

"Of course, he himself is to blame for the way he was looking [overweight] during the IPL. It is evident that someone like Mohammed Shami, who is not really a fitness fanatic, has really worked hard through the Coronavirus-forced lockdown period and picked up 20 wickets in the IPL. On the other hand, someone like Pant, who has age by his side, comes back overweight. So, probably that was the little shock the selectors gave him. And that has worked well for him. Otherwise, had he continued being like that, he wouldn't have realised his real potential," Prasad told mid-day on Tuesday.

Pant smashed 274 runs in the remaining three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, including a majestic 97 at Sydney and a match-winning 89 not out at Brisbane in the final Test to help India win the series 2-1. The transformation was a result of "working his backside off," according to head coach Ravi Shastri.

Pant took this confidence into the England series, where he ended up scoring 527 runs (four Tests, five T20Is and two ODIs). He audaciously reverse-slapped James Anderson for four in the fourth innings of the final Test during his 101-run knock to help India win the series 3-1. Pant gave the same treatment to Jofra Archer during the T20I series at Ahmedabad. The striking feature of his Test innings was his patient build-up before exploding.

Pant's biggest challenge was his wicketkeeping in the subcontinent. Former India stumper Kiran More was summoned at the National Cricket Academy to help him iron out his flaws.

‘Worked on his 'keeping skills'

"We had three sessions in 2018 and 2019 for 10 days each. I just worked with him on his skills, balance and hand-eye coordination. Wicketkeepers always take time to settle down. It was not fair on him to expect too many things in his first few years at the international level. It was important to be patient with him. I am glad the team management backed him and he has made a tremendous comeback," said More, who was also the former India chief selector when MS Dhoni came into the limelight.

Prasad had informed Pant that he could be Dhoni's successor in 2016. But his iffy wicketkeeping form was a concern for the selection committee. "Earlier, we thought that Pant would be our first choice for away series and Wriddhiman Saha would get preference when we played in the subcontinent. We had certain doubts about his wicketkeeping but never doubted his batting ability," said Prasad.

Prasad is confident that Pant can become a legendary cricketer if he keeps up his work ethic. "I hope he continues with the work ethic he has put in place while he was struggling. If he continues the way he is now and his work ethic is good, he will undoubtedly become a legendary cricketer. You cannot compare him to anyone else because he will create his own identity. In fact, he's already doing that," Prasad signed off.

155
No. of runs scored by Rishabh Pant in two ODIs against England @ 77.50