'He has quality strokes, he is an impact player and a match-winner too but unfortunately, he is not delivering.'
Rajkumar Sharma, the childhood coach of India captain Virat Kohli asked wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant to be more careful while playing in T20s.
"It's high time, he should be careful, T20 is his favourite format and he is not able to perform. He has quality strokes, he is an impact player and a match-winner too but unfortunately, he is not delivering," Sharma said.
The remarks came after Pant's dismal performance against South Africa in Mohali on Wednesday. The left-handed batsman has been found guilty of not being careful with his shot selection as he time and again throws his wickets by attempting reckless shots.
In the Mohali T20 against South Africa too, he perished playing a loose shot as he was caught at short fine leg off spinner Bjorn Fortuin.
Earlier, ahead of the second T20I against South Africa, batting coach Vikram Rathour had asked Pant along with the young players in the Indian team to understand the difference between 'fearless cricket and careless cricket'.
Even India head coach Ravi Shastri made it clear that the young Pant will be "rapped on the knuckles" if he keeps on playing rash shots like the one he did in an ODI against the West Indies recently.
Shastri did not mince words as he pointed out that the young wicketkeeper-batsman has let the team down during India's recent tour of the West Indies where he was dismissed first ball in an ODI game.
"We will let him be but at times when you see a shot, like the first ball dismissal in Trinidad, if he repeats that, then he will be told. There will be a rap on the knuckles, talent or no talent, as simple as that..." the head coach said.
"Because you are letting the team down, forget letting yourselves down. In a situation where you have the captain at the other end, a target to chase, the need of the hour is sensible cricket," Shastri was quoted as saying in an interview with Star Sports.
"I am really worried for Rishabh Pant because the way he is playing is really alarming and the kind of comments are coming especially from Ravi Shastri and batting coach Vikram Rathour is a matter of concern," said Sharma.
India defeated South Africa by seven wickets in the second T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match after the first game was washed out.
"The Indian team has given a consistent performance and I have not seen team India being so consistent in the past 20 years. I second Ravi Shastri's statement that this team is the best travelling team," said Sharma.
"The way team India is playing, I don't think there is any chance for South Africa to bounce back. South Africa is inexperienced...India will convincingly win the third T20I," he added.
Lauding his ward Kohli, Sharma said "99 per cent of the time he doesn't know what he has achieved in terms of records. I always inform him about his records, he plays selfless cricket and his stats tell that how big a player he is."
The third T20I between India and South Africa will be played in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
