Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has heaped praises for Rishabh Pant and said that the young wicketkeeper-batsman is a major asset for his Indian Premier League (IPL) team Delhi Capitals.

The 23-year-old Pant has been in good form in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and has scored 171 runs in the five matches he has played so far.

“I think he is a major asset for the Delhi Capitals, but today he has also vastly improved his game. I am talking about his batting and the improvements he made in that department,” said Lara while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Live.

“On what is immediately noticeable is his propensity to try and get everything to the leg-side. Also look at his run scoring chart and that’s quite a proof of that fascination he has with the on-side. I think he has come to the realisation that this is not working and he went away and worked on improving his off-side play,” he added.

Lara believes that Pant has worked on improving his off-side play which in turn has helped him to score runs in all parts of the ground.

“Now he has the ability to score runs in all parts of the ground. His scoring charts are looking impressive, and yes, more worry for the bowlers,” said the former West Indies captain.

“He is now very well balanced and he is looking to score in key areas that he is not accustomed to scoring – over extra cover, over point, in front of point and his balance and his weight is staying there, he is not falling over to the off-side to create shots on the leg side. That is a vast improvement that he has made, which obviously going to help his all-round batting. I believe, this young lad has a long-long way to go,” he added.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals will be taking on Rajasthan Royals at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday in the 23rd match of the IPL 2020.

While both the teams had started the tournament on a positive note, their fate stands poles apart after five matches. Delhi Capitals have lost just one. Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, have three straight defeats after two back-to-back wins in their opening encounters.