Rishabh Pant is among the top keeper-batters in the world for the manner in which he scores runs, feels former West Indies skipper Denesh Ramdin, who is here to play the International Masters League T20 tournament. “Obviously, Rishabh Pant is one—he’s unique in the way he bats and scores runs. There’s a young guy from Australia, Josh Inglis—he did well in the Champions Trophy. There are many young keepers coming through,” Ramdin was quoted as saying in a press release. The 40-year-old, who played 71 Tests, 139 ODIs and 74 T20Is, feels that role of keepers have evolved over the years since Adam Gilchrist came into prominence.

“Back in the day, wicketkeepers were primarily just keepers, but now cricket has evolved. The role of the keeper-batsman has expanded, starting with players like Adam Gilchrist, who opened the batting and excelled. Others like Quinton de Kock, Brendon McCullum, and of course, the exceptional Mahendra Singh Dhoni, have been fantastic in shaping the modern wicketkeeper’s role.” Ramdin also shared his thoughts on how Sunil Narine might perform in the upcoming IPL season.

He said: “Obviously, Narine was the MVP last year, and his team won the championship. He’ll have a lot of confidence going into the new season, but every season brings a new atmosphere and new challenges, with different players in the team. I have no doubt that Sunil, though a man of few words, expresses himself fully through his performances with both the ball and the bat.”

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