Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
Technique is not sacrosanct. The output is. One can be unorthodox and not adhere to the rules set by tradition or convention. What matters at the end of the day is performance, and contribution to the team’s cause. It doesn’t matter if one doesn’t fit into the prototype or deviates from the dictionary definition of that role.
Who is this in the Indian cricket team right now? If you talk to Syed Kirmani and ask him about Rishabh Pant, chances are high that you will get this answer. Showering praise on the most maverick wicketkeeper-batter in contemporary cricket, the legendary wicketkeeper of the Indian teams of the 1970s and 1980s was brutally candid.
“One does not need to affirm right now whether Rishabh is the best ever that India has produced in that role,” Kirmani told RevSportzafter rain ruined action on Day 1 of the India-New Zealand first Test in Bengaluru. “From what we have seen so far, he certainly has the potential to be among the rare few. Now, it’s a question of consistency.”
No less an anti-stereotype during his playing days, Kirmani is in Srinagar in connection with the Legends League Cricket. When this correspondent got in touch with him, he was at the Dal Lake. Initially reluctant to detach himself from the pristine surroundings of Jammu & Kashmir and dwell on current affairs, he eventually ended up speaking a few words on Pant.
“Rishabh is a god-gifted talent,” said Kirmani. “Keeping or batting, there are many striking aspects about him. Of course, there are areas of improvement. That’s applicable to everybody. But, one must not forget that technique is not the end of it all. One may not be technically perfect, but can still achieve the results for himself and his team. That’s what matters and that’s what he is doing.”
Other than Pant’s skills as a cricketer, Kirmanialso likes him for his fighting mentality. “It must have been very tough to come back from the kind of accident that he had,” said the 1983 World Cup winner. “Mentally and physically, it was an enormous battle. That he has bounced back, and that too in flying colours, shows what he is made of. It’s highly commendable. It shows that he is different.”
Officially acknowledged as the best wicketkeeper of that momentous win which reshaped Indian cricket, Kirmanirefused to get into a comparison when asked if Pant is the bestthat India has ever produced, or whether he is on his way to becomingthe one. Players usually don’t like comparisons and for a valid reason. One can’t accurately evaluate performers from different generations.
“I can’t say if Rishabh is the best,” said Kirmaniwith a laugh.“The best in my eyes, Allan Knott of England, and the likes of Rodney Marsh (Australia), Wasim Bari (Pakistan) and Bob Taylor (England) were unanimous that I was the best of those days. Personally, I am an admirerof the best performer. It’s all about performance and consistency. For Rishabh to stake a claim for the ‘best’ accolade, he has to be consistent over a period of time,” said the 74-year-old.
Having made six centuries in 35 Tests and six more scores in the nineties, Pant is already perhaps the best Indian wicketkeeper ever in terms of batting. He is a game-changer and match-winner. Does he need to brush up his skills behind the stumps a little bit? Kirmani laughed again, like he often does, before coming up with the reply that it’s the result that matters, not technique.
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