Rishabh Pant has become the quintessential aggressive wicket-keeper batsman that India needed since the departure of MS Dhoni from the international scene. The flamboyant nature of Rishabh Pant’s game against Australia and England was laudable, but things weren’t as smooth for the left in 2019-2020 as they are today. Pant struggled with the bat as well as behind the stumps and thus was criticized. As a result, he was dropped from the limited overs squad that travelled to Australia.
But, Pant was quick to seize the opportunity that he got in the second Test match against Australia. He scored 91 and 89 runs in that match. There was no stopping Pant after that. His hard hitting ability and scoring quick runs won matches for India against both Australia and England. In a recent interview with PTI, India’s head coach, Ravi Shastri had Pant’s back as he lauded the 23-year old wicket keeper.
Shastri revealed the amount of hard-work that went in for Rishabh Pant to get back to form. "Rishabh Pant, he came in after IPL with a lot of baggage and that showed in his size and he had to lose that weight which he did. He worked his backside off. I can tell you that he has trained harder than anyone else, and results are not just for him to see but for world to see," Shastri said.
"At 21, 22, or 23, I had similar success, so I can relate to as I scored hundreds overseas. What you can never take away is exuberance of youth. It's only when the baggage comes of being a known quantity and that's when life starts," he added.
I think in the last two months what he has done for India, no one would ever do that in a lifetime. His keeping was outstanding," concluded Ravi Shastri.