A lot of debate is going around whether Rishabh Pant is really worth overtaking MS Dhoni as the first choice wicket-keeper. Dhoni has only retired from Test cricket and in that format, it is Pant vs Wriddhiman Saha. However, India preferred Pant over Saha in the recent two Test matches against New Zealand. The wicket-keeping spot in the Indian team is up for grabs with not many contenders around. Pant, who was tipped to replace Dhoni, has had a mixed start to this career. Though it is still early days for the 22-year-old, he has been compared already with Dhoni. It is unfair to compare the two as Pant is still trying to find his feet in international cricket. MS Dhoni's On-Field Angry Moments: From Abusing Khaleel Ahmed to Shoving Mustafizur Rahman, Here Are Times When MSD Lost His Cool and HOW! Watch Videos.

However, to make the comparison somewhat “fair,” we have tried to narrow down on stats of both the wicket-keeper batsmen. Pant has thus far played 13 Tests, 16 ODIs (One-Day Internationals) and 28 T20Is. We tried to figure out what Dhoni’s stats looked like after the same number of matches across formats and the results are below: Rohit Sharma Slams Media While Defending Rishabh Pant, Says ‘Media Should Think Before Writing Something’.

MS Dhoni vs Rishabh Pant After 13 Test Matches

Matches Inns Runs Average 100 50 Ct St
MS Dhoni 13 20 602 31.68 1 3 39 9
Rishabh Pant 13 22 814 38.76 2 2 59 2

Note: Both of Pant’s centuries have come outside Asia.

MS Dhoni vs Rishabh Pant After 16 ODI Matches

Matches Inns Runs Average 100 50 Ct St
MS Dhoni 16 16 410 31.53 1 1 14 3
Rishabh Pant 16 14 374 26.71 0 1 8 1

Note: Dhoni batted in top three during his first 16 ODIs.

MS Dhoni vs Rishabh Pant After 28 T20I Matches

Matches Inns Runs Average SR 100 50 Ct St
MS Dhoni 28 27 480 25.26 109.58 0 0 11 4
Rishabh Pant 28 25 410 20.50 121.66 0 2 7 4

The above stats reveal, Dhoni had a similar start to his career as Pant. However, on field, Pant has looked, at times, little shady with wicket-keeping gloves. Management has indicated that Pant will be provided the long rope and rightly so. He appears the one for the future and is expected to better his keeping skills as time passes.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 08, 2020 12:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).