Undoubtedly Rishabh Pant is one of the finest young talents we have in India at the moment. The way he can effortlessly hit the ball out of the at an age of 21 goes onto speak volumes about the youngster’s promise. Given his talents, the expectations surrounding him are always high. In the last few matches, he has come under the flak after missing a couple of easy chances.
In the 4th ODI against Australia, he missed a simple stumping which went onto prove to be the match-changing moment. The visitors chased down a record target of 359 to square the series 2-2. Eventually, they went onto win the series by 3-2 margin. Pant will be part of the Delhi Capitals squad in the upcoming IPL which is slated to begin from 23rd Match. The opener of the tournament will be played between Chennai Super Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Rishabh Pant says World Cup spot will always be on his mind
Rishabh Pant further added that the World Cup spot is always on his mind but at this point, he wants to concentrate on IPL and help his franchise their maiden IPL title.
“It will always be at the back of my mind,” Pant told Cricket Next during the sidelines of an event in Delhi. “But right now, I am not focusing on that. I am too focused on the IPL and wanting to make my team win.”
Rishabh Pant was given an opportunity in the last two ODI’s against Australia as the team management decided to rest MS Dhoni. However, he had a mixed performance in the series. He received criticism from all quarters for his glovework in both the matches. Even the crowd chanted “Dhoni Dhoni” whenever Rishabh Pant missed an opportunity. Pant conceded the fact that he needs to improve in certain areas of the gave and he has been taking constant advice from MS Dhoni.
“See, as a player I want to keep improving every day. I’ve seen a few areas in my game where I need to work on and I’ve talked about my game to Mahi bhai about that. But as a player, you need to keep improving, every match, every day.
“His (Dhoni’s) aura is totally different when he comes to the dressing room. The calmness is there, and you can talk to him about anything, any problem. That’s the kind of aura he shares with everyone, he makes you comfortable. He gives you advice, but whether you want to take it or not is your wish.”
Rishabh Pant rose to fame with his exceptional performance in 2018 IPL
Pant came into the limelight with a sensational performance in 2018 IPL. The southpaw smashed 684 runs in the tournament at a staggering average of 52.61. Pant is eagerly looking forward to the upcoming edition of the tournament. He insisted on the fact that he intends to win games for Delhi Capitals in the cash-rich league.
Meanwhile, he also spoke about the famous babysitting incident which happened during the Australia tour. Pant added that pressure in international cricket is different to IPL and he needs to adapt.
“At this level, the pressure will always be there. Pressure in international cricket is different (to the IPL), I know that but yes pressure will be there and I want to perform and make my team win.
“It was a good, normal interaction. There was a dinner at the (Australian) Prime Minister’s House. She posted the picture over there and it went viral because me and Tim Paine were having some banter during the match, but we were just playing cricket, hard Test cricket. That’s all,” he said.
Pant will look to come all guns blazing in the IPL and book his place for the World Cup slated to be held in England and Wales in a couple of months time. Both Dinesh Karthik and Pant will be tested in the tournament and the one with a better performance might eventually prevail for a spot in the World Cup squad.