Asia Cup 2022: [WATCH] Rishabh Pant plays the helicopter shot during Team India’s net session

Team India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was seen playing the helicopter shot in the nets during a practice session ahead of the side’s Asia Cup 2022 clash against Hong Kong.

After beating Pakistan by five wickets on Sunday, August 28, the Men in Blue will face Hong Kong in their second Asia Cup 2022 Group A match in Dubai on Wednesday, August 31.

Ahead of the game, Pant was captured attempting a helicopter shot during practice. The stroke was made famous by former India captain MS Dhoni.

Pant was a surprise exclusion from the Indian playing XI against Pakistan. The think tank decided to go in with veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik ahead of the aggressive left-handed batter.

Both keeper-batters are vying for a spot in the T20 World Cup. Given Karthik’s form and Pant’s reputation, both players are set to be selected in the Indian squad for the ICC event in Australia. However, only one of the two is likely to feature in the playing XI.

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“There’s still so much for Rishabh Pant to learn in T20 cricket” - Saba Karim

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim has backed Pant to grow as a T20 player with experience. He asserted that while the youngster still has a lot to learn in the format, he has started showing signs of improvement.

Speaking about the southpaw, Karim told Sports18:

"That is the conundrum which Rishabh Pant needs to come out of. But lately one has seen those glimpses of the kind of form he’s exhibited in Test matches. We saw him play a blinder of an innings in one day against England. And similarly, there have been some great performances.

"Maybe not on a consistent basis, but I do believe that there’s still so much for Rishabh Pant to learn in T20 cricket. He’s become a much better player now, but I think with more exposure one can see Rishabh Pant growing in confidence and adding far more value to this T20 side also."

Pant has played 54 T20Is for India, scoring 883 runs at an average of 23.86 and a strike rate of 126.32. He has three half-centuries to his name in the format.