Pant is future and we need to give him space: Kohli

Providence (PTI): Skipper Virat Kohli doesn't want to put undue pressure on young Rishabh Pant as he is the one for the future, who needs to be given some space to display his full potential.

The 21-year-old, who is expected to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's successor was widely criticised for his shot selection in the first two games but came up trumps in third T20 International with a cracking 65 not out off 42 balls in company of his skipper.

"We are looking at him (Pant) as the future. He has got a lot of skill and lot of talent. It is about giving him some space and not putting too much of pressure," the skipper made his intentions clear. He has been around for a couple of years now and Kohli feels that he will soon start finishing games more consistently. "He's come a long way since he's started. It's about winning and finishing games like these.

In international cricket, you need to tackle pressure differently. If he plays like this regularly, we will see his potential shine for India," Kohli said. He was all praise for seamer Depak Chahar, who got 3 for 4 in his first spell to set the ball rolling for India. The skipper compared him to senior pro Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Support from seniors, despite failures, helped

The lack of runs, at times, does "frustrate" Rishabh Pant, but unwavering support from his senior India teammates acts as confidence booster.

After two poor outings, young Pant came good under the guidance of skipper Virat Kohli as India comfortably beat West Indies by seven wickets in the third T20 International to complete a 3-0 whitewash here on Tuesday.

"I felt nice about my innings. I was not able to score runs and was getting frustrated. But, I kept following my process and it fetched the desired results today," Pant told India vice-captain Rohit Sharma for BCCI.TV. Chasing 147 on a slow deck, skipper Kohli anchored the innings to perfection with 59 off 45 balls while Pant was brilliant during his unbeaten 65 off 42 balls.

"There are various times that I get frustrated when I don't get the runs. Then I think what different things I could have done to perform. There are times when I take the right decision and even then I am not able to perform. It happens in cricket and is part and parcel of the game. "But what I try to do always is to focus on my basics, trust my instincts and just follow the process," he added. Asked about his 106-run partnership with captain Kohli, the 21-year-old said, "When I and Virat bhaiya were playing, we were thinking of stitching together a big partnership and take the game deep and then accelerate in the last seven-eight overs." Seen as one for the future, the left-handed batsman said he doesn't get pressurised by the expectations. "I do feel the pressure at times, sometimes I enjoy. But the entire team, especially the senior members, have faith in me and that is a huge confidence booster. You know that even if you fail in one or two innings, the team will back you. That really helps."