IND vs SL Test: Player of the series Rishabh Pant has finally silenced his critics

Most Rishabh Pant critics had already become his fans leading into the Test series vs Sri Lanka but after the 2 matches in whites, the southpaw from Delhi has made a statement with his glovework as well.

There was a time when the Indian team management had made it clear that Pant would be preferred in overseas Tests while Wriddhiman Saha would get an upper hand at home.

Also read: IND vs SL 2nd Test: Captain Rohit registers his 4th consecutive series whitewash across formats

This was largely due to Pant not so clean glovework against the spinners on the turning tracks at home.

But not anymore, following the footsteps of his mentor MS Dhoni, Pant has now transformed into a very reliable man behind the stumps and has become India's 1st-choice keeper no matter where they play.

In addition, his judgment from behind the stumps when it comes to DRS calls has improved drastically and captain Rohit Sharma has found a reliable pair of eyes to evaluate close calls.

His fearless approach during the series was no surprise. Pant backed up a fiery 96 in the first Test with 2 super knocks in Bengaluru, striking at over 150 in both innings. His momentum-shifting half-century in the 2nd innings is now the fastest fifty by an Indian in the history of Test cricket.

The 24-year-old scored a total of 185 runs in 3 innings and was rightfully judged as the Player of the series.