Suresh Raina opens up on Rishabh Pant's struggling days
Rishabh Pant
|| India Correspondent ||
Pant under pressure as record IPL buy fails to justify price tag
7 May 25
Former India player and Chennai Super Kings' star batsman Suresh Raina has come out and backed Rishabh Pant while remembering his struggling time. Pant was going through a tough time after the 2019 World Cup and everyone criticised him for his batting as well as keeping.
"Koi bhi use mandir ka ghanta samajhke bajake chale jara tha, (everyone was criticising him).” First, since the Australia tour he has looked like scoring big in every innings. Against Jack Leach it felt like he would hit a six off every ball. For a stroke player like him, you need to give him the license to hit. Sometime, when he gets out playing the big shots, you need to support him," Raina said to Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview.
"Like what Brian Lara used to say. When the time is good such players score a lot of runs but when it’s a tough time those runs should be a reminder of the player’s ability. He needs to be backed and Virat is doing it. Pant is here to stay for 10 to 15 years," he further added.
However, Suresh Raina is all set to feature in the IPL 2021 and started his practice ahead of the tournament too. His return will be great news for Chennai as he missed the entire IPL season last year in the United Arab Emirates because of personal issues. In his absence, CSK’s batting order struggled and they finished seventh in the points table.
However, this season they will try to bounce back with the new signings in the IPL 2021 player auctions - Moeen Ali, Krishnappa Gowtham and Cheteshwar Pujara and others. Moreover, CSK will also get the services of Robin Uthappa, whom they traded with Rajasthan Royals ahead of the auction in Chennai last month. They will begin their campaign on April 10 against Delhi Capitals.
