Birthday special: Journey of a firebrand batsman – Rishabh Pant
Indian swashbuckling batsman Rishabh Pant is one of the finest young talents which India has to offer to the world of cricket. A promising talent from Delhi, Pant is popular for his aggressive batting style and his fearless approach to the situations. Rishabh is the prime contender for filling the shoes of the veteran MS Dhoni who retired from international cricket on August 15, 2020. On the occasion of the Delhi Stalwart’s 23rd birthday (October 4), let’s flip back the pages and take a look at the highs and lows of his cricket career.
Early Days
The dashing wicketkeeper-batsman began his cricket career at the mere age of 12 as he travelled with his mother all the way from Roorkee to Delhi to practice at the Sonet Club. On the advice of his coach Tarak Sinha, he decided to play for Rajasthan in the domestic circuit instead of Delhi. Pant initially represented Rajasthan at U-14 and U-16 level. However, at Rajasthan, he faced discrimination for being an outsider and thus, he moved back to Delhi to continue his run in the sport.
In 2015, at the age of 18, he made his first-class debut in Ranji Trophy for Delhi. He broke several records by scoring a triple-hundred against Maharashtra. Pant came into limelight after his exploits for India Under-19 in the 2016 World Cup. The young lad looked promising after smashing a 24-ball 74 against Nepal, the fastest half-century of the tournament followed by a century against Namibia.
IPL entry
Rishabh’s heroics earned him a place in the world’s biggest T20 extravaganza as he was drafted by IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils for a staggering price of 1.9 crore INR. The youngster has done wonders for the team in his IPL career of 5 years as he amassed 1,832 runs in 57 fixtures at a strike rate of 159.6 and average of 36.6.
Pant’s endeavours in the IPL, earned him his position in the Indian team. He made his debut for the Indian team in a T20 International against England at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on 1 February 2017. He is the second-youngest player for India to debut in a T20I match (youngest at that time) at the age of 19 years 120 days.
Exciting Test debut
Later Pant was named in India’s Test squad for the series against England in August 2018. During the series, he became the first batsman to begin his Test career with a six, followed by a maiden Test century in the same tournament. Thus, he registered his name as the first and only wicketkeeper-batsman to score a century on England soil. The 23-year-old was also selected for the Australian series in 2018 where he took 11 catches, the most by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test match. He also scored a century in that series, becoming the first Indian wicket-keeper to achieve this feat in Tests in Australia.
After the Test debut, Pant didn’t wait for a long time to showcase his talent in the 50-over format as he was handed his ODI cap against West Indies on 21 October 2018. Pant’s golden moment came in June 2019, when he got an opportunity to play for India in the ICC World Cup as a replacement for an injured Shikhar Dhawan, who suffered a hairline fracture on his left thumb. Though Pant couldn’t utilize the opportunities provided to him in the international circuit, he is expected to improve his game and bounce back stronger.
