India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday threw his weight behind the under-fire Rishabh Pant, asserting that he wouldn’t let the young wicketkeeper-batsman feel isolated as he battles a slump in form.
The skipper fully backed the 22-year-old, saying it is the team’s collective responsibility to support Pant in the trying times.
“We certainly believe in Rishabh’s ability. As you say, it’s (also) the player’s responsibility to do well, work hard and I agree but I think it’s a collective responsibility of everyone around us as well to give that player some space to do that,” he said.
“If he misses a chance or something, people can’t shout. It’s not respectful because no player would like that to happen,” he added.
Kohli said he expects the crowd in India to get behind the youngster, who was booed in the last series against Bangladesh.
“You are playing in your own country and you should get support rather than always thinking what mistake is this guy going to make. No one wants to be in that position,” he said.
“He can’t be isolated to such an extent that he gets nervous on the field. If you want him to do well and win matches for India all of us collectively should make him feel like he belongs and we are here to do things for him rather than against him,” Kohli added.