Team India copped a lot of criticisms for fielding Rishabh Pant ahead of incumbent Wriddiman Saha as the wicket-keeper for the two-match Test series against New Zealand. Skipper Virat Kohli has finally revealed the reason behind the inclusion of the youngster saying that it was the right time to inject him in the playing XI. 

Virat Kohli & Co sprung a lot of surprises for fielding Rishabh Pant in the first playing XI. Notably, India had brought in Wriddhiman Saha during the home series against South Africa and Bangladesh. The wicketkeeper from Bengal impressed straightaway in the challenging conditions and was also hailed by Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri as the best in the world.

Read More: Virat Kohli comes in support of underfire Ajinkya Rahane

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant lost his place in the playing XI in the limited-overs with KL Rahul standing tall on the expectations. Pant suffered a concussion during the ODIs against Australia and since then, has been sidelined in the presence of Rahul. But with the overseas Test coming, Pant was preferred ahead of Wriddhiman Saha, and Kohli tried to give a rationale behind the inclusion of the 22-year-old. 

“We have given him (Pant) a lot of chances in the home season as well as starting from Australia. Then he was not playing for a bit. In turn, he really worked hard on himself,” Virat Kohli said.

“You need to figure out when is the right time to give someone else a chance. If you push people too early, they can lose confidence,” he added.

Read More: South Africa's ODI squad for the three-match series against India

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has been largely unsuccessful in the series both with the bat and the wicket-keeping gloves on. He managed only 60 runs from the four innings with the highest score of 25 runs during the second innings of Wellington Test. Pant, who is going through a difficult time will look to bounce back stronger and silence the critics.