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Pant is our future, we need to give him space: Kohli

Wed, 07 Aug 2019

Georgetown, Aug 7

India skipper Virat Kohli has insisted that young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant -- who is seen as the successor to M.S. Dhoni -- is the future of Indian cricket and he needs to be given the space so that he can use his skills well and perform on a consistent basis for the team.

Pant, who had attracted criticism for his shot selection in the first two T20Is, on Tuesday showed some spark in the final match which India won by seven wickets to clean sweep the three-match series.

The left-handed batsman played a winning knock of unbeaten 65 off just 42 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes as India chased down the target of 147 with four balls to spare.

"We are looking at him (Pant) as the future. He has got a lot of skill and a lot of talent. It is about giving him some space and not putting too much of pressure," said Kohli -- who shared a 106-run stand with Pant -- after the match.

"He's come a long way since he's started. It's about winning and finishing games like these. In international cricket, you need to tackle pressure differently. If he plays like this regularly, we will see his potential shine for India," he added.

Speaking at the post-match presser, the Indian skipper further said that the 21-year-old has got tremendous talent and for him, it's just about getting into the zone and perform for the team whenever he gets an opportunity.

"So, we are really looking forward to see more performances from him like he did today," said the Indian skipper.

Pant is our future, we need to give him space: Kohli

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