Rishabh Pant might have created a new record for an Indian wicketkeeper by taking 11 catches in a Test in Australia, but former stumper Farokh Engineer says the Delhi youngster has a lot of technical problems in his primary job, while praising the left-hander’s batting heroics.
“His approach is same as that of MS Dhoni. But don’t praise him sky-high at the moment. Encourage him. He’s technically so incorrect,” said the one-time flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman at Legends Club’s talk show at the Cricket Club of India here on Wednesday evening.
Pant’s flamboyant batting exploits, however, have impressed Engineer so much that he wondered how the Indian selectors could afford to leave him out in favour of the seasoned Dhoni for this year’s World Cup in England.
“Question is, for the World Cup will you pick Dhoni? How can you drop Pant? He’s done so well. These are the questions for the selectors–the three selectors who between them must have played one and a half Tests,” he said, before he was corrected that there was a five-man selection panel now with two more additions to the list.
“A good wicketkeeper moves his feet, goes to the ball and does not dive all the time; uses his feet all the time,” the Mumbai-born stumper of the 1960s and 1970s said.
“He’s young, he will learn from mistakes. Wicket-keeping is not taught, it’s a natural thing. He has to iron out certain elementary things. I love his approach, but the way he got out in the first Test when India were in trouble,” he said.
“He got out to a stupid shot. If he had done that in our time he would not have played another Test. But he buckled down later. He’s such a good, natural player. I wish him all the luck. I am sure his wicketkeeping will improve,” he said.
“Dhoni was the same, was dropping straight forward balls. Sachin brought him over to me in England when I was commentating for ESPN. I said what do you do and he said–I see the ball, take my eyes off it anticipating it to come into the gloves and I said ‘you should watch the ball right till it comes into the glove’,” said Engineer.
Engineer said currently there were hardly any stumpers who make the teams on the strength of their wicketkeeping abilities but rather as batsmen who could keep wickets.
“There are no wicket-keeper batsmen; all are batsmen-wicketkeepers who can score runs and also keep wickets. In Test cricket you can’t afford to drop a catch. It does not come often,” he said.
