Rishabh Pant, the young Indian wicketkeeper, became the talk of the town after his made his debut in whites for India in Nottingham. Be it with the bat or with the wicketkeeping gloves, the 20-year-old Delhi boy didn’t prove his selection wrong.
On day 1, he stepped out to bat at number 7 when Indian were reduced to 279 for 5. Though he missed equalling the unique record of New Zealander Mark Craig who hit a first-ball six on debut, he became the first Indian batsman to open his run account in Test cricket with a six.
Here’s the video:
Well, this was just the second maximum hit by India in this series so far. It not only left the viewers amazed but also surprised his mother, Saroj.
In an interview, Pant’s mother revealed how she felt after seeing her son representing India in England. She said,
“I was very nervous when I heard that he would be making his Test debut. I was very much surprised. Before going into play the Test, he telephoned me and asked me to watch him play on TV. I generally don’t watch matches on TV when he is playing. However, after his father’s recent death, he has been requesting me to watch him play.”
Later, while fielding, Pant became the fourth Indian wicketkeeper to grab five catches in his maiden Test innings. The feat of taking five catches on debut in an entire Test match belongs to three other Indians - Naren Tamhane (vs Pakistan in 1955), Kiran More (vs England in 1986) and Naman Ojha (vs Sri Lanka in 2015) - Pant is sure to surpass them in second innings.