Rishabh Pant pours cold water on his head to beat the heat in the fourth Test against England.
"Rishabh Pant is still young. I made many errors when I was young in my career," skipper Virat Kohli, known for his belligerent approach and backing his players to the core, said in the youngster's defence as India crashed out against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi-final. Pant's crucial 56-ball 32 -- which came under pressure after he was thrown in the middle when India was 24/4 -- was eclipsed by the sight of a shattered MS Dhoni walking back after getting run out. There was a tinge of sadness or sympathy in the eyes of millions of fans as seeing Dhoni bat in the national jersey had possibly drawn to a close.
The Indian side has been cohesive in the last few years and with someone like Pant in its ranks, Kohli couldn't have asked for more at that point in time. For the skipper, Pant was one for the future with the kind of talent he possessed. "I think the way they played after the loss of three wickets, four wickets rather, was quite commendable. I am sure he will reflect on it and he will come out stronger."
With Pant's devil-may-care attitude in the middle, one might argue that Kohli was over-optimistic in giving the southpaw a long rope. Safe to say, Kohli and the team management's vision has become reality, especially in the past few months.
Pant's struggles with consistency, fitness
Rishabh Pant plays a reverse sweep during the second day of fourth cricket Test match between India and England.
Pant's rollercoaster ride in international cricket, filled with criticism, fitness issues and cut-throat competition amid the national side, has finally started to bloom. From contesting for the wicketkeeping spot with Wriddhiman Saha at the start of the year to becoming an indispensable part of the Indian Test camp -- Pant's not-so-frugal nature has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him.
Back in 2019, Pant had a disastrous T20I and ODI series against West Indies, leading to a furore on the internet. Apart from stepping into Dhoni's shoes, Pant had a wearying phase to tackle -- facing the heat for throwing away his wickets on most occasions. When Pant's rash shot selection was
the talk of the town, head coach Ravi Shastri had made it clear that Pant would be 'rapped on the knuckles' if his batting approach remains the same.
Pant had been keeping the wickets for India in white-ball cricket ever since MS Dhoni went on a sabbatical after the 2019 World Cup. However, the left-hander saw himself sidelined from wicketkeeping duties and getting replaced by KL Rahul during the Australia series last year.
Haunted by the same situation in IPL 2020, Pant, a core part of the Delhi Capitals set-up, failed to live up to expectations. Managing just one 50+ scores in 14 matches, Pant ended a lacklustre IPL campaign with 343 runs on UAE strips. Pant's lean patch was all about him trying to negotiate between explosive and risk-free cricket, with weight issues gradually coming into the picture.
With Test centuries in England and Australia, no one can point a finger to argue over Pant's talent. After arriving in Australia at the start of the year with 'lot of baggage' to shed, Pant has done a tremendous job to rejuvenate his career. He was also dropped from the Test series opener in Adelaide, with Saha given the preference due to superior wicketkeeping skills.
Getting match-ready both physically and physically, Pant topped India's run-charts, scoring 544 runs in seven games including mesmerising knocks in Sydney, Brisbane and Ahmedabad. While his 97 in Sydney helped India in pulling off a memorable draw, 89* in Brisbane led to a historic fourth-innings chase and 101 in Ahmedabad sealed the series win and a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final for India.
Pant's first 50 runs in the fourth Test against England came from just over 80 deliveries; the last 50 came from 33 balls. Usually known for his six-hitting prowess against spinners, Pant put his foot on the gas pedal against the likes of Ben Stokes and James Anderson. Within a space of just 24 deliveries, he scored six out of nine boundaries against the pace duo.
We can let Rishabh Pant be 'Rishabh Pant': Rohit Sharma
Rishabh Pant celebrates scoring a century against England.
On Wednesday, India vice-captain Rohit Sharma said Pant has come of age but it is important for others not to put pressure on him and let him be. The five-game T20I series against England will also mark Pant's return to the limited-overs set-up. In-form Pant might be assigned the No.4 spot, which was previously claimed by Sanju Samson in the T20Is against Australia.
"I think if we can let Rishabh Pant be Rishabh Pant, he will come out and give you those performances. I have said the same in the past. Leave Rishabh Pant alone and he will give you those performances.
"He can only go from strength to strength from here. There is no looking back for him. So far he has done exceptionally well in the last few months," said Rohit while speaking to the media ahead of the T20I series opener against England.
With Pant's understanding of the game and confidence getting better with each passing day, a bright future awaits the youngster from Delhi. "Be out there and enjoy the game and do what he likes to do. The good thing about him now is that he is starting to understand the game situation which is good. Looked good in all the departments. (If he performs in T20Is) that will take his confidence a notch higher," added Rohit.
In coach Shastri's words, Pant, a match-winner in true sense, has 'worked his backside off’ and has trained harder than anyone in the last two months. Looks like Pant's behind-the-stumps chatter and audacious reverse-sweeps are here to stay.
