Teenage wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has created quite a buzz in this year’s IPL. The left-handeder entered the tournament on the back of a brilliant domestic season, scoring a 48-ball century for his state side Delhi against Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy tournament late last year after smashing 308 off 326 balls against Maharashtra in the same tournament.
His exploits in the first-class tournament, coupled with his superb show in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh where he scored 267 runs from six outings, saw Pant win an India cap – a T20 game against England in February.
The IPL, however, was seen as the biggest test with an opportunity to impress national selectors for a spot in the squad for the Champions Trophy in England.
For Pant, the path became a painful one following the death of his father just a couple of days before Delhi Daredevils’ first IPL game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He performed the last rites, joined his franchise and scored a 57 off 36 balls in what was losing cause. For Pant it was an epochal moment.
The 19-year-old had demonstrated maturity much beyond his years and was now being seen as a long-term replacement for the No1 wicketkeeper in the country – MS Dhoni. And just to remind everyone of his class, Pant smashed 97 from 43 balls against the Gujarat Lions while chasing 209, in an innings that was described as the best in IPL history by Sachin Tendulkar.
It has been quite a journey and the path ahead looks promising. He spoke to Sport360° after a hectic first few weeks of the IPL.
I am not thinking that there is any extra focus on me. I just need to perform well. If I am playing a match, I don’t think about who is watching me. I only concentrate on my game.
It’s not easy for me. I am thinking about it all the time. I have to do something else. If I keep thinking about it (father’s death), it will be very difficult to move on in life. That’s why I am trying to focus on cricket and not much else.
Rahul sir is a legend. The main thing that I have learned from him is discipline. Throughout his career, he never used to be late. It’s the same case now as well. So that is what I have learned from him.
When you score runs in domestic cricket, you automatically become confident about your game. But it is not as if I have only scored runs this season. It’s just a feeling of confidence that I am getting from my teammates and the environment with Daredevils. It’s so good out here, I am enjoying my time.
It’s a motivation for a youngster like me to be seen as an up-and-coming player. I try to learn from everyone, whether I am in the Indian team or with others.
Wicketkeeping and batting are different. I don’t mix the two. But they tend to complement each other. If you are batting well, you will see the ball well and keep well. Similarly, if I am keeping well, it reflects in my batting as well.
Every player has a role to play. The responsibility is not just on Zaheer bhai or me or anyone else. After Quinton and Duminy became unavailable, we were on the backfoot. They were the main batsmen of our team. But that’s just cricket.
