Karthik shed light on Dhoni’s career as a wicketkeeper and mentioned that his achievements as a skipper give him more weightage than Pant as of now.
Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik said that while it is unfair to call Rishabh Pant the nation’s best wicketkeeper ever with just 34 Tests behind his back, he will finish as the best for sure. The 26-year-old cricketer scored his sixth Test century in his comeback match after more than a year on Day 3 of the first Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai. The wicketkeeper batter’s turmoil has been documented after the horrendous car accident in December 2022, and the way he hammered his sixth Test hundred with a double off Shakib Al Hasan underscored the value he attached to the great knock.
“It’s very unacceptable to say that he’s played 34 Tests and he’s already India’s greatest wicketkeeper batter. Let’s take time, let’s not jump to conclusions but definitely he’s on course for sure and he will finish as India’s greatest ever wicketkeeper,” said Karthik on Cricbuzz chatter.
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Notably, comparisons have been drawn between Pant and former India skipper MS Dhoni, especially after the former equaled MS Dhoni’s record of six Test hundred. However, former RCB star Dinesh Karthik feels that MS Dhoni’s greatness as a skipper gave him more weight than Pant, at least now. The 39-year-old cricketer clarified that MS Dhoni not only kept the wickets brilliantly but stood up on every occasion when needed the most and led Team India to the World Test Championship.
“Don’t discount Dhoni’s credentials as a wicketkeeper as well. He not only kept brilliantly, batted and scored runs when it mattered very very well for India but also he led India to a World Test Championship mace which is becoming number 1. So you got to give all that weightage as well when you speak about a player all round,” he added.
The former India captain, MS Dhoni, has piled up 4876 runs in the 90 Test matches with six centuries to his name. On the other hand, Rishabh Pant has amassed 2419 runs in the 34 Tests, with 6 centuries and 11 fifties to his name.
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