He has raw, uninhibited power, and his shots radiate class. And he can entertain the crowds with humongous sixes, summoÂned almost at will. He is Rishabh Pant, India바카라s most exciting young wicket-keeper-batsman. A batsman, morÂÂÂeover, cast in the Virender Sehwag-Âesque mould--not just in terms of brisk scoring, but also in diet. Both were brought up on a heavy, staple diet of milk that gave them enough strength to smite balls a long distance without a fuss.
But unlike Sehwag, Pant would drink the Maltova-mixed milk directly from the jug, in a few quaffs, so fond he was of it. Pant would also carry two tiffin boxes to school--one to eat during school hours, and the other after his daily extra practice sessions following his classes. Those gruelling sessions comprised running extra rounds to burn calories, besides polishing his wicket-keeping and batting. From an early stage, Pant바카라s ability to clear the boundary at will left everyone mesmerised, first in domestic tournaments and now internationally.
Pant바카라s big knocks, studded with massive hits that demoralised opponents earned him the India T20 cap in 2017. The 21-year-old player is now with the Indian team at the World Cup in England, sent as a replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan. Pant missed the bus initially, apparently narrowly, but not before the nation debated whether he or Dinesh Karthik was more deserving of a World Cup XV spot. Karthik got the nod; Pant was put on standbye. They may have plumped for experience, that cherished commodity, but Pant has made such an impact on selectors, team management, and fans that despite three wicket-keepers in the squad바카라M.S. Dhoni, Karthik, and K.L. Rahul바카라selectors still picked him.
Pant바카라s coach and Dronacharya Award winner Tarak Sinha says his ward should have been picked initially. 바카라But my opinion doesn바카라t count much as the selectors must have had good reasons to not pick him in the XV. They must have obviously thought about the team바카라s betterment. Rishabh was disappointed, but I told him that age was on his side and that he had a bright future,바카라 Sinha, who has produced many international players from his Delhi-based Sonnet Club, tells Outlook.
Following his rapid rise from school cricket in his hometown Roorkie in Uttarakhand and local age-group tournaments, Pant seems to have cemented his place in the Test team, besides being the heir apparent to Dhoni in the two limited-over formats. It shouldn바카라t surprise if he, like Dhoni, becomes the first-choice stumper for all three formats.
Pant had a good 2019 season with Delhi Capitals, aggregating 488 runs at a strike rate of 162.66 to become the seventh top-scorer of the IPL. That performance, plus his fine wicket-keeping (he equalled the world record of 11 catches in the Adelaide Test) and batting (350 runs at an average of 58.33) in the four-Test series in Australia in 2018-19 had the selectors convinced. 바카라He is very much in our World Cup plans. He바카라s a champion in the making and even he바카라s not fully aware the kind of potential he has,바카라 selection committee chairman M.S.K. Prasad had said in January.
Still, Pant was ignored for the World Cup as Karthik and 바카라three-dimensional바카라 Vijay Shankar were preferred. But to keep him match-fit, the selectors picked him for India 바카라A바카라 to tour the West Indies. Then, Shikhar Dhawan got injured, and Pant replaced him. This, points out Sinha, has happened due to a remarkable impÂrovement in Pant바카라s temperament, besÂides his core wicket-keeping and batting abilities. 바카라Wicket-keeping is most difficult in Tests. And Rishabh has improved in Tests, and also as a batsman. His two centuries, against England at The Oval in 2018 and against Australia in Sydney this January are proof enough that he has patience, and that his temperament has improved. When he was leaving for the World Cup, I reminded him that every run matters,바카라 says Sinha, who doubles up as Pant바카라s financial advisor.
Pant바카라s coach, Dronacharya awardee Tarak Sinha, with students at the Sonnet Club.
Post-IPL, Sinha made Pant work on his shortcomings in his wicket-keeping after his performance behind the wickets was criticised in the home ODI serÂies against Australia in March. 바카라If you consider him as India바카라s best wicket-keeper, you should ignore such errÂors. And batting-wise, I advised him to not to chase records and instead let recÂords chase him,바카라 says Sinha.
Krishna Bhaskar Pillai, who saw Pant from close up as chief Delhi coach a few seasons ago, is completely captivated by him. 바카라He바카라s very confident and has enormous self-belief바카라hallmark of a great cricketer. Like Sehwag, when he has to hit, he hits바카라Šthere바카라s no hesitation. His bat speed is so good that nine out of 10 times he connects. He is confident about hitting the ball over long-on and long-off fielders, against a pacer or a spinner, due to exceptional bat speed. He picks the line and length [of the ball] very early,바카라 explains the former Delhi captain.
Pant also has tremendous stamina, a fact that is eclipsed by his destructive expÂloits with the bat. One match that demonstrated this was Delhi바카라s Ranji Trophy game against Maharashtra at the Wankhede Stadium in October 2016. After Maharashtra batted for the first two days, and Pant kept wickets for 173 overs, he returned with the bat to smash 308 (42 boundaries and nine sixes) in an almost eight-hour rampage. The effort spoke volumes about his fitness and mental ability. 바카라The mental frame of his batting is something like that of a Viv Richards or a Sehwag, or even Sandeep Patil or Kirti Azad,바카라 says Pillai without hesitation.
While Pant makes rapid progress, he misses the man who many years ago got him to 바카라promise바카라 to earn the India cap바카라father Rajinder, a university-level opener- wicket-keeper, who passed away in April 2017. He had told Outlook a little earlier he that since his own fatÂher couldn바카라t 바카라afford his cricket바카라바카라they were five siblings바카라he lived his dream through Rishabh. 바카라I told 바카라Munna바카라 after a summer camp of Tarak sir that I want him to represent India and that I would give him whatever was required for that. He promised me: 바카라Baba, I will do it.바카라 Then, we hugged each other,바카라 an emotional Rajinder had recalled.
Rajinder used innovative methods to train Pant since he was five. 바카라I used to make him practice with a cork ball on the cemented rooftop of our Roorkee home where the ball came faster. There was no turf pitch in the city. I used to tie a pillow to his chest so that my little boy didn바카라t get hurt while facing faster deliveries. But he did sustain a fracture. It was meant to take the fear [of facing fast bowling] out of him. This was extra coaching, apart from what he received in school,바카라 he had said.
Pant바카라s mother Saroj, principal at a schÂool her husband started in 1992 in Roorkee, made sacrifices to support him too. She and little Rishabh would take five-hour bus journeys from RooÂrkee to Delhi, starting at 3 am, on weeÂkends so that the kid could attend the Sonnet Club바카라s net practice sessions on Saturdays and Sundays at Sri VenkaÂtesÂwara College. The two would embark on the return journey on Sunday evenings to reach Roorkee by midnight. This punishing routine went on for about a year, until Pant was admitted to a school in Delhi.
Money was initially a constraint. 바카라It was tough to buy bats, pads for him becÂause his bats would cost between Rs.20,000 to Rs.30,000. Once, during an under-19 tournament in Delhi, he broke three bats in quick succession. In a lighter vein, I said people buy jewellery and here I am buying bats for you,바카라 Saroj, who still indulges her son바카라s love for tandoori chicken and paneer parathe, says with a smile.
Things have changed for good for the Pant family. Today, the star cricketer has two top-of-the-line cars in his garÂage. He tastefully renovated his home in Roorkee with IPL money and started a restaurant for his sister, an MBA and a former junior national basketball player, there. After the 2019 IPL, he took his mother on a holiday to Dubai for a well-earned rest. On his return, he received the news of his selection as a 바카라cover바카라 for the injured Dhawan, and proÂmptly took another flight, to England. 바카라His feet are firmly on ground; he has no bad habits. His only love is cars, but he can indulge in it as it바카라s his money,바카라 says Sinha. Everyone waits for Pant to make his World Cup debut. All of them expect it to be a smashing one.
