“Every day he is on the phone to MS,” says Shastri on Pant speaking to Dhoni

Shastri on Pant speaking to Dhoni: The Indian coach was vocal about the relation between the wicket-keeper duo in the team.

India wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant had a record-breaking Test series during the recently concluded India’s tour of Australia. Playing his first series down under, the 21-year old cricketer had put on display an a dominating all-round performance.

Finishing the series as the second-highest run-scorer (above India captain Virat Kohli), Pant scored 350 runs in four Test matches at an average of 58.33 and a strike rate of 73.99. Performing his duties behind the stumps, he grabbed 20 catches, more by an Indian wicket-keeper in a Test series.

ALSO READ: Ravi Shastri discloses why Rishabh Pant was dropped from ODI team.

Other than surpassing former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Pant also equaled the record of legendary West Indian wicket-keeper batsman Jeff Dujon. Both of them are the only two visiting wicket-keeper batsmen to score a Test century each in England and Australia.

In an interview with Daily Telegraph, India Head Coach Ravi Shastri talked about Pant. Shastri disclosed that Pant constantly used to talk to Dhoni over the phone during the Test series. “His [Pant] hero is MS [Dhoni]. Every day he is on the phone to MS. I think during the Test series, he must have spoken more to MS than anyone else,” Shastri was quoted as saying.

ALSO READ: “You can’t replace him,” says Ravi Shastri on MS Dhoni.

Shastri also talked about the ‘mutual respect’ which two stalwarts of Indian cricket in India captain Virat Kohli and Dhoni share in the dressing room.

“It is great when you have that mutual respect. Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, the respect they have for each other is unbelievable, so it makes my job in the dressing room so much easier,” he added.