Sports / Lot of talk about Pant every minute, keep your eyes away from him: Rohit

Young Rishabh Pant has been continuously criticised for his poor showing behind the stumps. More so, because Rishabh Pant is being groomed to take the place of veteran wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni, but is yet to really set the stage alight in international cricket. However, India's Twenty20 International (T20I) stand-in captain Rohit Sharma came out in support of the Delhi batsman and said everyone should keep their eyes away from him. Rohit Sharma also added that Rishabh Pant is a fearless cricketer and if the criticism stays away, it will help him perform better.

"You know there is a lot of talk happening about Rishabh Pant every day, every minute. I just feel that he needs to be allowed to do what he wants to do on the field. I would request everyone to keep their eyes away from Rishabh Pant for a while," skipper Rohit said on the eve of the T20 series decider against Bangladesh here.

"He is a fearless cricketer and we (team management) want him to have that freedom. And if you guys take your eyes off him for sometime, it will allow him to perform even better," added Rohit.

Rohit Sharma was clearly irritated by the fact that every move that Rishabh Pant is making in international cricket these days is being looked through a magnifying glass.

"He is a young guy, 22, trying to make his mark in international cricket. Every move he makes on the field, people start talking about him. It is not fair. I think we should allow him to play his cricket which actually he also wants to do," the Mumbai batsman said.

Pant scored 27 runs in the New Delhi T20I and did not get to bat in the Rajkot match. The third T20I in Nagpur will be an opportunity for Pant to up his game and prove his calibre.