Pant on comparison with Dhoni: “I am not here to compete with anyone”

Pant on comparison with Dhoni: The Indian wicket-keeper has quashed reports of him competing with MS Dhoni.

Rishabh Pant, who has started to make a name at the highest level, has quashed reports of him competing with former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Since both of them keep wickets and play the attacking game down the order, reports of the rookie player replacing 37-year old Dhoni have been doing the rounds. Pant, however, was clear in his statement regarding not competing with anyone and laying emphasis on learning at this point in time.

“I am not here to compete with anyone. For me, this phase is all about learning. I keep going up to Mahi bhai and pick up things,” Pant was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

Pant was also vocal about gaining words of wisdom regarding the experience of a player from Indian captain Virat Kohli. “Virat bhaiya told me that playing 50 matches doesn’t mean you are experienced. A person with three-four games can be equally experienced if he picks up from others’ mistakes,” Pant added.

While social media has its own benefits for a public figure to connect with his/her followers, it also has several downsides. Cricketers (and even other celebrities) are often seen at the receiving end of harsh comments by a plethora of users across these social media platforms.

On being asked about how he filters usage of social media, Pant answered, “Social media is a part of everyone’s life. You can’t ignore it. But I have learnt to keep off-field hype back in my room. And it doesn’t matter if you have played 500 international matches, you are bound to be nervous when you take the field and I believe that’s a good thing.”

Read some of the latest Twitter reactions on Pant below: