India stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma on Sunday backed wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant and said everyone should keep their eyes away from him for a while.
"You know there is a lot of talk happening about Rishabh Pant every day, every minute. I just feel that he needs to be allowed to do what he wants to do on the field. I would request everyone to keep their eyes away from Rishabh Pant for a while," Sharma told reporters in the pre-match conference here.
Pant's performance in the last game became the centre of attention as he showcased poor skills behind the stumps.
He also failed to leave his mark on the scoreboard in the series so far. Pant added 27 runs in the first T20I while in the last game he did not get the opportunity to bat.
"Focus on him a lot more when he is doing good things also, not just bad things. He has been learning, there have been times he has kept well also. He is trying to do what the team management wants him to do. He is a fearless cricketer and we team management want him to have that freedom. And if you guys take your eyes off him for some time, it will allow him to perform even better," Sharma said.
The 32-year-old opening batsman is leading the team in the shortest format in absence of regular caption Virat Kohli. In the last game, he played a knock of 85 runs which guided India to a comfortable win by eight wickets.
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"I always love playing against all the opposition it is just not Bangladesh. I'm here to play cricket and to enjoy it. It is a great opportunity and honour to play and represent your country. I'm enjoying every bit of it," Sharma said.
"I'm happy to win the game. I was not looking to score a hundred, I was looking to win the game and we won the game. I'm really really happy for that," he added.
Talking about the pitch condition in Nagpur, Sharma said it will help the bowlers if they bowl on the right areas.
"Nagpur generally is a very good track to play cricket actually. It assists the bowlers also if you are bowling in the right channels. Even the Rajkot pitch there was something in there for the bowlers," Sharma said.
"Our spinners especially were getting a lot of turns. The pitch doesn't matter if you have skills and variations in your armoury. I think any pitch you play will look as good as any other pitch," he added.
The three-match series is currently levelled at 1-1. India and Bangladesh will face each other in the decider of the series at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium here on November 10.
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