“Rishabh Pant tends to be one-dimensional; Ishan Kishan managed to reign himself back” – Shaun Pollock compares the two Indian wicketkeepers

Shaun Pollock has compared India’s two young wicketkeeping talents Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan following the team’s six-wicket win over West Indies on Sunday.

Batting at No.4, Rishabh Pant scored 11 (9) before being involved in an unfortunate run-out in Ahmedabad. Ishan Kishan, meanwhile, opened the innings and scored a stable 36-ball 28, including two fours and a six, before mistiming a sweep to backward square leg. India eventually shot down the paltry 177-run target with 22 overs to spare.

Pollock was impressed with how Ishan Kishan, who’s usually an aggressive player, “managed to reign himself back”. The former South African captain compared the Bihar-born to Rishabh Pant, who, according to him, has shown a tendency to not adjust to situations and be “one-dimensional” with his batting in the past.

Speaking on “Cricbuzz Chatter” after the match, Pollock said:

“I think sometimes we might be a little critical of Rishabh Pant who tends to be a little one-dimensional when it comes to the way he plays. He likes to be very aggressive and even if the situation doesn’t dictate that he has to do that, he goes about it the same way… I think I was quite impressed that he managed to reign himself back.”

He added:

“The situation didn’t require him [to go after the bowlers]. We know he can do that role, we’ve seen that in the IPL, in the T20s. But it’s good to see a guy of that age being able to adjust to what’s required of him in the match and being able to say, ‘Okay, well my partner is going at 100 miles an hour, no real need for me to take risks; I’ll wait for the bad ball and do my job from there'”

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While Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan both have similar styles, the former has been more exposed to scrutiny because of his Test career, which has often swung between the extremes of audacity and negligence.

India’s recent Test tour of South Africa was a prime example of the same. The youngster threw away his wicket for a three-ball duck in the second Test at a crucial juncture, playing a part in India’s defeat. But he scored a jaw-dropping 100 in the third Test amid even trickier circumstances.

“Ticked a box” – Dinesh Karthik weighs in on Ishan Kishan’s approach

Wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik also opined on Ishan Kishan’s approach during the same interaction. He was impressed with the youngster’s defensive game and how he “ticked a box” by limiting his game according to the situation.

Karthik said:

“With Ishan Kishan what was good to see was [him] bringing his defensive technique to the fore, not taking too many risks and just playing to the situation and playing a beautiful second fiddle role to Rohit which obviously was the need of the hour… He’s just ticked a box in a sense that he made sure there was a partnership that was required and he’s put his hand up and did what was required for Team India.”

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India and West Indies will next lock horns in the second ODI at the same venue on Wednesday, February 9.