Rishabh Pant is currently one of the best wicketkeeper-batters in world cricket. He has gone from strength to strength over the last few years, establishing himself as Team India’s first-choice gloveman across formats.
However, there were doubts about Rishabh Pant’s keeping skills when he first arrived on the international scene. The 24-year-old worked extensively on his game and the results are there for everyone to see. He has also been appointed India’s vice-captain for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa.
Rishabh Pant’s on qualities of a wicketkeeper:
Ahead of the series against the Proteas, Rishabh Pant pointed out the three qualities required to be a good wicketkeeper-batter.
Speaking on a podcast, the southpaw said: “I think one quality would be, you keep yourself agile because in wicketkeeping you do different type of conditions. So if you are agile enough that’s going to help a wicketkeeper. Second thing, watch the ball till the end. So, sometimes what happens as a wicketkeeper we tend to know that the ball is coming and we become relaxed. So, till the time you catch the ball, you should watch it. “
He further added: “And the third one is – be disciplined and keep working on your techniques. Everyone has different techniques but at the same time if you can come closer to the base, that is going to help everyone.”
Rishabh Pant also played one of the pivotal roles in India’s comeback victory in the 2020/21 series against Australia with back-to-back spectacular knocks in the fourth innings of a Test. His 97 off 118 in Sydney helped India salvage a draw in the third Test while his unbeaten 89 off 138 helped the visitors script a historic Gabba win.
The Delhi cricketer has witnessed a meteoric rise since his match-winning knock at the Gabba Test that helped India defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21. He has already represented India in 30 Tests, 24 ODIs, and 43 T20Is, scoring 3318 international runs in total, including four centuries and 17 fifties.
After scoring 350 runs averaging 58.33 in 4 Tests in his maiden series Down Under in 2018/19 which included his career-best unbeaten 159, Rishabh Pant scored 274 runs at an average of 68.50 in five innings (3 Tests) for India against Australia in the next tour in 2020/21.
Rishabh Pant Reveals His Father Was A Wicket Keeper Too
The flamboyant cricketer is currently one of the most vital cogs in the Indian team across formats.
Revealing how he started wicket-keeping in his childhood, Pant stated: “I am trying to give my 100 per cent in each game. I was always a wicket-keeper batsman. As a kid I started doing wicket-keeping. My father was a wicket-keeper too. That’s how I started wicket-keeping.”
Rishabh Pant was last seen in action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, leading Delhi Capitals (DC) to a fifth-placed finish. He had a good campaign with the bat and will hope to keep the momentum going against South Africa.
Rishabh Pant was named DC’s skipper ahead of the IPL 2021 and was retained ahead of the TATA IPL 2022. He scored 340 runs in 14 IPL 2022 games averaging a modest 30.91 at an impressive strike rate of 151.79.