MASSIVE! Chairman of selectors names three young wicket-keepers as Rishabh Pant's backup

There is a lot of interest, talk and discussions around Rishabh Pant. While there is a common consensus, that the young man has a lot of talent, now the chairman of selectors MSK Prasad has named three more wicket-keepers, who they are looking to groom to manage the workload concerns of the left-hander.

In the recent past, Pant has not found any consistency and this has even prompted captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri to ask him to be more aware of game scenarios when he looks to play his strokes.

"I have already said that post World Cup we have been concentrating on the progress of Rishabh. We need to be patient with him, considering the immense talent that he possesses," Prasad told Indian Express.

Prasad named Ishan Kishan, KS Bharath, Sanju Samson as the three wicket-keepers who are being observed closely.

'Monitoring the workload of Rishabh closely'

"We are monitoring the workload of Rishabh. Of course, we have been grooming backups across all formats. We have the young KS Bharath doing well in the longer format for India A. We also have Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson doing well in the shorter formats for India 'A' and domestic cricket," the chief selector added.

After announcing India's Test squad to take on South Africa in the Test series, Prasad also said that Saha could be preferred as the primary wicket-keeper as he is far superior wicket-keeper, especially in Indian conditions. However, he was quick to add that the final decision would be left on Indian management.

"It'll be up to the Indian team management. They want a better keeper on spinning tracks at home," Prasad had informed.

New batting coach Vikram Rathour too has supported Pant and has backed his attacking instincts, but then was quick to add that a player needs to be more aware of what the match situations are.

"All young cricketers need to understand the difference between fearless cricket and careless cricket. The team wants everyone to play without fear. We want Rishabh to play all his shots as it makes him special. But you do not want any batsman to be careless and reckless," Rathour said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the T20I series.