Here's what Brian Lara has to say about Rishabh Pant after second T20I against WI

West Indies legend Brian Lara is of the opinion that Indian youngster Rishabh Pant should be allowed to mature and no added presure should be imposed on him to perform.

“Rishabh Pant came into the game creating a lot of excitement, he had a lot of aggression and the Indian public expects someone to replace (MS) Dhoni immediately and in the same fold but he is a totally different player,” Lara said while speaking at Star Sports’ Nerolac Cricket Live show.

“I know the time is critical with the World Cup just 8 or 9 months away and they may even go with another keeper but the excessive pressure on him is unnecessary,” he added.

Earlier, the Indian skipper Virat Kohli had also supported the youngster, stating that Rishabh Pant has the confidence of the team management.

“We certainly believe in Rishabh’s ability. As you say, it’s (also) the player’s responsibility to do well, but our responsibility is to give him space, to support him. He should get support and it is disrespectful if you don’t get it,” Kohli had said.

“I agree with captain Virat Kohli on supporting Pant as this is a very successful Indian team and I remember the West Indies team 30 years ago we had guys in there who weren’t performing well but they were kept in the team because the team was doing very well and we had all the great players but you never heard about Gus Logie or Carl Hooper because they weren’t doing that well but they were allowed to mature and I feel Rishabh Pant should be allowed to mature,” said Lara.

Since, Rishabh Pant took over from MS Dhoni in the limited overs format, he has been under fire for his performance. In the recent T20I, the youngster underwent a lot of criticisms after India lost their first ever game to Bangladesh.

At the same time, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen also supported Lara’s take on Pant and stated, “If you look at all the mistakes he (Pant) has made and the position he is in, with the team and Virat backing him and with MS out at the moment, he does have a long way to go.”

“He will be looked upon on his performance and he is 21, so will he be able to buy the time to be an absolute superstar in Indian cricket is what we need to see, and I think he actually can,” he added.

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