Kolkata, April 27: Rishabh Pant, the wicket keeper-batsman of Delhi Daredevils has already started earning praise from cricket specialists for his indomitable mental strength.
Few days after his father expired all of a sudden following a severe cardiac arrest, Rishabh had made an excellent 57 runs off 36 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an IPL 2017 match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Then came another stormy innings of 38 runs off only 16 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Feroze Shah Kotla. His childhood coach Tarak Singh recently said that Rishabh's key weapon is his mental strength.
He might be one of the country's leading cricketers in near future only due to his zeal and determination.
Rishabh, who arrived in Kolkata on Wednesday evening (April 26) along with his Delhi team-mates to play against KKR on Friday (April 28) at Eden Gardens, was also reminded that he is now being called the future Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The 19-year old cricketer offered objection only. He said, "There should not be any comparison between us. I also have taken a lot of inspiration, having watched Dhoni on the field. I can only say that I am being able to gain confidence now. Playing in the IPL for the first time has given me boost also."
The left-handed batsman was not happy with his impressive innings against RCB when asked about it on Wednesday evening.
The reason is that in spite of Rishabh's innings Delhi failed to win the match. Rishabh along with Delhi teammates landed in Kolkata on Wednesday evening.
Rishabh was reminded of the last IPL match at Eden Gardens where Virat Kohli-captained RCB had surrendered, being all out for a meagre 49, the worst so far in the league.
But Rishabh denied saying, "We will not let the things get repeated. We know KKR is one of the strongest teams in the league. But we also have some expert bowlers and batsmen. So KKR should not also underestimate us."
OneIndia News