Rishabh Pant, an Indian wicketkeeper batter, talked glowingly about the experienced players who made him feel at ease during his international debut in 2017.
In 2016, after an unforgettable Under-19 World Cup journey, this player made his first appearance for India. At 26, his debut was in the third T20I series match. The game? It was against England in Bengaluru and happened in February 2017.
Despite India’s 75-run victory, Pant faced only three deliveries and finished undefeated on five in their enormous total of 202/6 in 20 overs.
On Star Sports’ ‘Believe’ series, Pant recounted how he never felt nervous because the players made him feel at ease.
“The majority of the time I didn’t feel like that. I was in awe at the beginning. You had watched all of them on TV. But they were all welcoming. Even the super seniors made me comfortable. It’s the team culture to make everyone comfortable. And when it happens at the start, it’s good. Because at 17-18 years you know nothing about life.”
Rishabh Pant
He added:
“You have experiences, of course; I tried to learn as a kid. I think all of these things are a benefit, not everyone gets experiences like these. And the things you learn from your experiences help you a lot in your life. Your brain starts reading life like that.”
Rishabh Pant
Prior to his injury, Pant was perhaps India’s finest Test match winner in recent years. The southpaw has 2,271 runs in red-ball cricket at an average of 43.67, including five hundreds.
Our cricketer hails from Uttarakhand. They’ve played 66 T20Is. On top of that, they represented India in 30 one-day matches. His score in these games: over 1,800 runs. This included a century and eight half-centuries.
“First time in my life I felt like my time in this world is up” – Rishabh Pant
In December 2022, Rishabh Pant shared his frightening experience. He felt like the end was near after a terrible accident.
The dynamic wicket-keeper batter had several injuries. His right knee had a ligament tear and he got two cuts on his forehead. This happened when he was part of a car accident.
“First time in my life I felt like my time in this world is up. During the accident I was aware of the wounds, but I was lucky as it could have been even more serious. I was feeling that someone saved me. I asked the doctor how long will it take for me to recover. He said it would take 16-18 months. I knew I had to work hard to cut this recovery time.”
Rishabh Pant
Pant, who attended the IPL auction in December of last year, is expected to return to the Delhi Capitals for the 2024 season as captain.
Last season, the Capitals struggled without Pant, finishing second from last with five victories in 14 games.