Young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant will have a chance to surpass M.S. Dhoni’s record of most dismissals in T20Is between India and West Indies when the two teams meet in the first match of the three-game series beginning Sunday.
Pant currently has three dismissals from seven T20Is played between India and West Indies while Dhoni leads the list with five from seven matches in the T20I format. However, he will have the chance to get past Dhoni’s tally as he is likely to feature in all the three T20Is.
Former Windies stumper Dinesh Ramdin is second on the list with five dismissals while Andre Fletcher is on the third spot with four dismissals. Dinesh Karthik is at the fourth spot with three dismissals.
Ever since Pant replaced Dhoni in the limited-overs circuit, he has been criticised by many, be it for his batting, wicket-keeping skills or be his role when it comes to reviews.
In the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh which India won last month, the 21-year-old was criticised for his slow batting and poor decision-making when it came to helping stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma regarding the DRS calls.
Former Australia cricketer Adam Gilchrist had already advised Pant not to emulate Dhoni but to work on improving his own game and being the best version of himself.
“My advice to Rishabh Pant will be: learn everything you can from Dhoni. Don’t try to be Dhoni. Just try to be the best Rishabh Pant you can,” Gilchrist had said.