Great opportunity for Rishabh Pant, says Virat Kohli ahead of West Indies clash

The West Indies tour is a great opportunity for Rishabh Pant to unleash his potential in all three formats said Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Friday.

Team India will start their tour on Saturday with the first of the three T20Is taking place in Florada. With MS Dhoni engaged in Army duties in Kashmir, Rishabh Pant becomes the ideal choice behind the wickets for team India.

“It’s a great opportunity for someone like Rishabh Pant to really play a lot of international cricket, show his credentials, really unleash his potential at this stage,” Kohli said ahead of the 1st T20I.

“We know how much ability he has and we all want him to become a consistent performer for the Indian cricket team. MS Dhoni’s experience is always going to be a very crucial factor but having said that some of these younger guys have a great opportunity ahead of them and they should just look forward to it,” he said.

India will be playing their first match after their dismaying semi-final exit in ICC World Cup 2019, Then Indian captain stated that it was difficult to get through the loss. Virat Kohli further stated,“The first few days after we exited the World Cup were quite difficult. Till the time the tournament got over, every time we woke up it was the worst feeling in the morning. Then through the day you do things and sort of get on with your life. We are professionals. We move ahead. Every team has to move on.”

“So we are quite okay with what happened in the World Cup. Yesterday the fielding session and the little bit of time we spent on the field was really good. Everyone was excited, looking forward to just playing, just being on the field again. I think that’s the best thing you can do as a team, just get on the park as soon as possible,” he said.

Team India didn’t train before the match due to rain in Florida. “I think the covers look the same,” quipped Kohli.

“We haven’t seen the pitch, we haven’t seen anything apart from the covers on the pitch. When we play tomorrow, we can assess how the pitch has come along. Even last time we played, it was pretty good, high-scoring, and we all had a lot of fun playing here, and this time is going to be no different.”