Patel's advice to Pant: Keep away from opinions, focus on game

Veteran wicketkeeper batsman Parthiv Patel on Thursday advised young Rishabh Pant to ignore criticism and focus on his game, saying dealing with this constant pressure can help him emerge as a better batsman.

Seen as heir apparent to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the 22-year-old Pant has been receiving flak for his failure to perform consistently at the top level.

Pant had an ordinary outing behind the wickets in the recently-concluded series against Bangladesh and the West Indies.

"Today's youngsters have got that advantage of playing with the big players and sharing the dressing room with them. But when you are struggling for form, you get opinions from all quarters. It's about keeping yourself away from opinions and focus on your game," Patel said.

"If you play for India, there would be pressure. Every player has got pressure of different situations. Your skills get honed in such pressure situations.

"In the T20 series (against WI) he did well. You see he's having a fun time at the ground as well. He can become a good player when he comes out of such pressure situations," said the Gujarat skipper on the eve of their Ranji Trophy match against Bengal here.

On Pant's wicket-keeping technique, the 34-year-old Patel said: "Obviously when you play for India, you have something in you. He made his Test debut in a tough place like England where the ball swings a lot. He's a young player. It's about gaining confidence. It can change in a matter of one-two innings."