Rishabh Pant was involved in some healthy banter from behind the stumps during the Australia series
India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant's banter behind the stumps during the Australia series caught people's attention and he was also called out at times for what he was saying.
However, he doesn't feel any of it was done in bad taste and it was quite normal.
When he was asked if he, at any point, felt that he could land in trouble due to same, Pant said that he was just a part of hard, competitive cricket and never abused anyone.
"Yeah, I was aware, but there is no way I could land in trouble. I never abused anybody. It was normal, hard, competitive Test cricket. You keep saying those things because you want to play with the batsman's concentration. It was good banter. Personally, I never felt that I crossed any line," Pant told ESPNcricinfo.
But, fortunately, his maturity and hitting with the bat overshined the chirping and according to him, the 'process' that got him to the level is working and there is nothing more satisfying than that.
The 21-year-old said that doing good or bad is not a matter of concern for him but making his processes work is.
"I just focus on my processes. I don't see whether I am doing well or badly. Because results obviously matter, but at the end of the day, your processes are important. Whatever processes have brought me here, I need to focus on that. On my work ethic, on how much time I devote to wicketkeeping process, what I need to do before matches," he said.
"The most satisfying part of my Test experience is "that my processes are working. That I can trust my game," he added.
Pant played his first Test match last year in England, a country which is considered as tough when it comes to wicket keeping and facing fast bowlers. The left-hand batsman, however, has a different take on it.
"You face all these bowlers in the IPL. Domestic cricket has these same bowlers. Just that the ball moves a lot more in England. But that's okay, there's always a first time. But I can say that as a wicketkeeper, when I played India A matches and then against the Lions, I had a fair idea of what to expect," he said.
Pant was guilty of conceding byes during the Test series against England but added that "if you see those byes, you will know whether 90 per cent of those should be called byes or whatever."
The cricketer is all set to appear for Delhi Capitals in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ahead of the tournament, he asserted that their only focus is to lift the trophy.
"There have been quite a few changes. The support staff has changed, players have changed, the name has changed. I feel we can do something different this time. At the start of the season we are only focusing on how we can win the trophy," he said.
Pant has played a total of nine Test matches scoring 696 runs with an average of 49.71. In T20Is, he has scored 229 runs at a rate of 22.9 in 13 matches that he has played so far.
(With inputs from ANI)
