'We had MS Dhoni but if Rishabh Pant continues to play like this .... ': Former India cricketer makes bold claim
Former Indian cricketer
Manoj Tiwari
has expressed high praise for India's vice-captain
Rishabh Pant
, suggesting he could become history's greatest wicketkeeper if he maintains his distinctive playing style.
Pant has made a significant impact in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, scoring 416 runs across five innings, including two centuries at Headingley.
"Rishabh Pant is unique, he has his own style of play. His thinking and approach are different to batters which causes an unpredictable contest between the batters and bowlers. He sometimes does throw his wicket which causes criticism but his success rate is high.
If a wicket-keeper is contributing 100 runs, historically Indian wicket-keeper batters have not been successful with the bat," Tiwari told IANS.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
"We have had some great keepers like Adam Gilchrist, who was great behind the stumps and with the bat, in Indian conditions, we had
MS Dhoni
but I believe if he continues to play like this, he will go down as the greatest wicket-keeper in history," he added.
In the current five-Test series, Pant holds the second position in run-scoring behind captain
Shubman Gill
. He has broken multiple records at Edgbaston and accumulated 601 runs in the series.
Poll
Which aspect of Rishabh Pant's game do you find most impressive?
His unique playing style
His run-scoring ability
His wicketkeeping skills
"Gill is in very good form and has made some technical adjustments. In earlier Test matches, he used to get bowled by incoming deliveries but he has worked on closing the gap between bat and ball. The benefit for that is he is able to play straight down the wicket.
He is in control and in great form. It seems like he has added the responsibility of being a captain while betting. It is great to see a young batter lead the team," added Tiwari.
Jasprit Bumrah
, the top-ranked bowler, returned to the Indian team at Lord's Test after missing the Edgbaston Test due to workload management. He replaced Prasidh Krishna in the team.
Bumrah secured figures of 5/74, earning his place on the Lord's Honours Board.
"When Bumrah is playing, he is usually the best performer on the field. The form with which he is bowling it seems he will continue to trouble the batters. His ability with the ball and his IQ on the field is amazing. He has been India's main man across all formats. When he is in the team, the self-belief of the side is much more," Tiwari said.
For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the
India vs England Test match here
.
Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
28 minutes ago
- News18
Saina Nehwal & Parupalli Kashyap Split: 'Choosing Peace, Growth And Healing'
Last Updated: Saina Nehwal announced on social media that she and Parupalli Kashyap are parting ways, after seven years of being married. Saina Nehwal took to social media to annunce that she and Parupalli Kashyap 'have decided to part ways', seven years after their marriage. 'Life takes us in different directions sometimes. After much thought and consideration, Kashyap parupalli and I have decided to part ways. We're choosing peace, growth, and healing-for ourselves and each other. I'm grateful for the memories and wish nothing but the best moving forward. Thank you for understanding and respecting our privacy during this time," Saina Nehwal posted on her Instagram story. How Was Saina Nehwal And Parupalli Kashyap's Love Story? have played pivotal roles in elevating Indian badminton on the global stage. Saina became the sport's face in India when she reached the quarter-finals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Four years later, she made history as the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal, securing bronze at London 2012. In 2015, she achieved another milestone by becoming the world No. 1—an unprecedented feat for Indian badminton. Kashyap also broke new ground. After winning bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he became the first Indian male shuttler to reach an Olympic quarter-final in London 2012. In 2014, he ended a 32-year wait by clinching gold at the Commonwealth Games. Their journey began in Hyderabad, where they trained under coach Pullela Gopichand. They started dating around 2004 during their junior years, with Saina's intense competitiveness driving Kashyap in every training session. Over time, their bond strengthened as they supported each other through highs and lows, especially during travels and international tournaments. The 2010s brought significant milestones and challenges. While Saina amassed medals at the Asian Games and World Championships, Kashyap struggled with injuries that hampered his career, starting with a calf injury in 2015. Saina stood by him, providing emotional support and motivation. When Kashyap missed the 2016 Rio Olympics, he remained her pillar as she faced early exits and injury challenges. Their professional relationship evolved, with Kashyap transitioning to her coach by 2018. His technical expertise combined with her mental resilience paid off when Saina defeated PV Sindhu to win gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Kashyap's role became more defined, supporting her from the coach's chair while managing his own recovery. The couple officially married in 2018. In 2024, Parupalli Kashyap retired from competitive badminton. view comments First Published: July 14, 2025, 00:37 IST News sports Saina Nehwal & Parupalli Kashyap Split: 'Choosing Peace, Growth And Healing' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
28 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Rahul — versatility and adaptability are his middle names
It must be so easy to take K.L. Rahul for granted. Wait, that's what India have been doing for quite a while, right? One of Rahul's great attributes is his versatility. His adaptability. His uncomplaining nature, his willingness to everything and more than is asked of him. Hang on, doesn't that bring back memories of another stalwart with the same first name, hailing from the same city? It won't an exaggeration to state that what Rahul Dravid once did, his namesake is now doing. And doing very well of late, as even numbers which are usually open to convenient interpretation will testify. One of the great mysteries of the modern game is how someone of Rahul's enormous ability still doesn't seem to have completely cracked the Test code. True, he has been moved up and down the order, especially in the last 18 months or so, but he has been around for over a decade and already boasts 60 Test caps. Now in his 61st Test, the 33-year-old averages in the mid-30s, far too few by anyone's estimation. But make no mistake, he is on a mission to correct that, to right the wrongs of the past, to keep up his end of the bargain as the most senior specialist batter in a young Test line-up, to ensure that his all-round prowess doesn't go against him. Sometimes, the greatest attribute that we alluded to earlier can work against an individual, which is exactly why Rahul has been shunted up and down the Test batting order since the tour of South Africa in 2023-24. Out of favour when it comes to Twenty20 Internationals, he has a settled role in the ODI set-up, as a middle-order batter/finisher and wicketkeeper. Such is his felicity in that job description that even someone as outrageously gifted as Rishabh Pant is unable to break back into the 50-over setup. Well-defined role Now, it would appear, Rahul has belatedly been given a well-defined role in the five-day game – as the all-weather opener whose twin responsibilities are to form the bedrock of the batting group and eke out his own runs, while taking the younger bunch along with him, striking up partnerships, embracing a mentoring role and sharing his wisdom, experience and tribulations, all of it aplenty. This clarity is working wonders. Five innings into the ongoing Test series in England, Rahul has 336 runs at an average of 67.20. His string of scores reads 42 and 137 (Leeds), 2 and 55 (Birmingham) and 100 (first innings at Lord's), making it the first time he has made more than one century in a Test series. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant have hogged the limelight, the former with his extraordinary consistency and the latter with his extraordinary presence, while Rahul has chipped away quietly in the background, building a formidable wall brick by solid brick. It was fascinating to listen to him speak about his approach to opening in Tests and how the template changes depending on conditions. When the ball is doing a lot, he says, and when there is a ball with his name on it just round the corner, he isn't averse to pulling a multitude of strokes out of his bag, not unwilling to unsettle the bowlers' rhythm, not afraid to try to transfer the pressure. But when the pitches are good for batting, like they have been on this tour, he slips back to what comes best and most naturally to him – grind out big scores, pick his areas to score, keep his ego firmly in check. Just on Friday evening, a very senior English journalist who has been on the job for more than a half-century was raving about Rahul's correctness. About the ease of his movements, about his flowing cover-drives, yes, but also his solid defensive play and the nonchalance with which he leaves balls. Sadagopan Ramesh, the former India opener, once revealed that the greatest advice he had received in his early days in first-class cricket was from Dravid, who urged him to 'learn to love leaving the ball'. Clearly, this 'new' Rahul has imbibed that philosophy because he doesn't get flustered if he is kept scoreless for long periods, he doesn't feel the itch of a static scoreboard. Batting on flat decks might appear straightforward, but clearly, it is not. Despite cricket's reputation as being a 'batsman's (now batters') game', all it takes is one ball to get them out. A bowler can go for five sixes in an over and still have the last laugh. A batter doesn't have the same luxury; one mistake can be, and often is, the last. To bat against fresh pace bowlers on a yet-to-be-used surface on the first morning of any game is an enormous challenge, which is magnified by the quality of the attack one is confronted with. It is to Rahul's enormous credit that eight of his ten Test centuries have come outside the subcontinent and seven of those as an opener, including three now in England and two at Lord's alone. Somehow, it is befitting that stately Lord's, steeped in tradition and history, has brought the best out of the traditionalist that is Rahul. It appears an organic, natural fit. Rahul is as eloquent with words as he is elegant with the bat, and you can hear the gears click in his head – not jarringly – as he pauses in thought before throwing light on how he has been preparing mentally. The physical effort, including long hours at practice sessions, are there for everyone to see. This is a team where so many players love to bat at nets, among them Gill and Rahul's opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal. Rahul keeps pace with these youngsters, often the first to arrive at practice and the last to leave, batting not just time but also with focus as he aims to address potentially tricky issues. The mental processes, however, are anything but obvious. Unless the protagonists themselves are willing to throw light. 'In the last couple of years, I have worked on a few mental drills,' Rahul acknowledged, warming to the theme of mental discipline and fronting up mentally fresh innings after innings, Test after Test. 'I have spent a bit of time with an expert who can help me with improving my reaction time and some mental drills and games that you can play that help you get better with your reaction time and stuff like that. A lot of other sports use it. 'I have seen this in Formula One and I picked this up from one of the guys that I worked with in Salzburg (Austria). 'I am closely associated with Red Bull, so I had the opportunity to go there and work with some of the coaches that work with the elite Formula One guys and other adventure sports people who require a lot of this mental side of the game. That is the only thing that has been different in the last year or so. 'But I have always enjoyed batting long periods of time. When I was growing up, even when I played junior cricket, I always enjoyed batting long hours, I could focus for long hours. A bit of that and a bit of this has helped me in the last few years.' It's amazing how Rahul has been able to strike fruitful alliances with batters who are completely different from him in approach and mindset. He has had numerous meaningful opening associations with Jaiswal as well as in the middle of the innings with Pant, two left-handers with an aggressive mindset. The rangy Jaiswal is more in the conventional mould while Pant is anything but that, a revolving door of immense surprises and untold delight (occasionally exasperation too). At Lord's, Rahul and Pant put on 141 for the fourth wicket, a wonderful alliance of the classical and the unique, of soulful jazz at one end and uninhibited heavy metal at the other. When Rahul speaks of Pant, it is with wonderment – a touch of envy too, perhaps?! – and utter and complete respect. 'I thoroughly enjoy batting with him,' he couldn't help the smile that brought out his dimples. 'When we are batting together, I look at the way he bats and I wish and I hope I could do that. Some days, I sit where there are no games and dream of playing shots like that and playing with that kind of a mindset and attitude. It will remain a dream. 'We do chat quite a lot about cricket and batting and the technical bit of batting as well. We were both injured and at the NCA back in Bengaluru and we would see each other every day. That's probably the first time I realised there is a lot of thought behind how he bats. He is a deep thinker of the game.' As is Rahul. He has other varied interests but when he is around cricket, he is totally committed to the sport, always looking for ways and means to improve on a personal level and contribute to the team, for methods to help out his new captain. 'That is something I have stressed on a daily basis,' he reflected on his 'seniormost specialist batter' status. 'My mindset or my hunger or my passion towards the team has always been there. But in the last few years, the performance has also reflected that.' Numerous times in the past, Rahul has begun a series superbly before tapering off midway through, prompting suggestions before this series that someone should get into his head and convince him that this is a ten-Test showdown. Maybe that's what someone has done, because his consistency has been second to none and the simplicity of his game coupled with the steel in his eye suggest he is anything but satisfied. Maybe these aren't the 'English conditions' that were once romanticised and feared in equal parts, but there must be a certain joy in living up to expectations – one's own – that can't be matched. Rahul's expectations of himself, one can rest assured, are neither modest nor minimalistic.
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
Amid uncertainty, FC Goa turn focus on ACL Two playoff
This will be the second time that FC Goa will feature in Asian competitions after their AFC Champions League debut in 2021 Panaji: For now, nobody knows the fate of the Indian Super League (ISL), which has been officially kept on hold for the season. But despite the uncertainty over the country's top-tier league, FC Goa have said they are committed to putting their 'best foot forward' for the crucial AFC Champions League Two playoff clash next month. Goa won the Super Cup last season to qualify for continental competitions. Amid the uncertainty, the single-leg ACL Two preliminary clash against Al Seeb has come early in the season – August 13 to be precise – leaving the club with little time for preparation. Questions were asked whether Goa would give the competition a miss. However, CEO Ravi Puskur said the club recognises its responsibility to represent the country on the continental stage. 'Withdrawing at this stage would not only invite significant sanctions but also leave a permanent stain on everything we've worked to build over the past decade,' Puskur told TOI on Sunday. 'That is not a message we are willing to send, to our players, our fans, or to Indian football at large.' Puskur, though, acknowledged that the prevailing uncertainty has severely hampered the team's preparations. 'The lack of clarity around the domestic calendar and broader structural issues have made it extremely challenging to plan effectively. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like الذهب يشهد ارتفاعًا قويًا في عام 2025 - المتداولون الأذكياء دخلوا السوق بالفعل. IC Markets تعرف على المزيد Undo This disruption is bound to have an impact. That said, we are committed to putting our best foot forward. We will do everything in our capacity to set aside the distractions and focus on delivering a performance that brings value and pride to Indian football at the Asian level,' said Puskur. Should Goa cross the preliminary hurdle against Oman champions Al Seeb, they will move to the group stage where Cristiano Ronaldo 's Al-Nassr FC will be one of the participants. Goa have already completed their foreign quota for the season with all six players expected to arrive later this week to prepare for the playoff. The foreigners include Dejan Drazic, Borja Herrera, Iker Guarrotxena, Javier Siverio, David Timor and Pol Moreno. The ACL Two features the largest cast across the AFC's club competitions and the 2025-26 edition will see 29 sides -- 14 from the West and 15 from the East -- granted entry to the Group Stage, with six more teams to occupy the indirect slots and do battle in the Preliminary Stage. The winner of each Preliminary Stage tie will progress to the Group Stage, while the losing side will have to settle for a spot in the third-tier AFC Challenge League.
