Rishabh Pant opens up on his batting, future, Kohli and the upcoming season of the IPL
Moneycontrol News
India announced the 15-member ODI squad on February 15 for the Australia series, with Rishabh Pant having returned to the ODI format. The move can also be seen as Indian selectors almost confirming the young wicket-keeper's participation in the upcoming World Cup.
Pant's calendar is now packed with a series against Australia, the IPL and possibly the World Cup lined up over the next five months. The explosive batsman is gearing up for the hectic season ahead and amid this he took time out for an interview with SportStar.
Pant has enjoyed a great Test series against Australia where he finished the series with 350 runs as the second highest run scorer behind Pujara. He was declared the ICC Emerging Player of the Year for 2018 shortly after.
The south-paw comes across as a confident and assured man when he says that he always expects big things from himself. On his success tour of Australia, Pant says,
"I always expect big things from myself. The main thing that I normally do is to focus on the process. That is what is helping me in every situation,"
On how he perceives his future Pant says,
"I am focused on the present. Am not thinking much about the future right now. As a youngster, I want to keep improving every day. That is what I am looking forward to achieve. Every day when I get on to the field, I am learning from everyone in the team,"
Naturally, the future holds lot of promise and expectations from the 21-year-old, but the burdens of expectations and performance anxiety isn't weighing him down.
"My coach Tarak Sinha has always told me to focus on the process, rather than the results," explains Pant.
The competition is tough for Pant as batsmen like Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal have also broken into the squad and impressed with their batting.
But does he feel the peer pressure?
"I do expect to play for India for the next 10 or 15 years. But, as I said, I just focus on the process, fitness and my work ethic to ensure that I stay in the race for a long period of time. The key is performing well for the team. Personal achievements are good, but it is more important if you can see how well you can contribute to the team to make it better," he observes.
The modern-day game expects a batsman to adjust his batting style according to formats, and Pant is ready for the challenge.
"My coach has always maintained that good basics are important, irrespective of you playing a T20, one-day or Test match. You need to have strong basics. Then, you play according to the situation. In a T20 game, you have to be positive. If you are playing one-day, you can give yourself a little more time. If you are playing a Test, then you have enough time," he explains.
Pant speaks highly of Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
"Virat is influencing cricketers all over the world. His work ethic, to be at the gym, even on an off-day. If he can do that as a legend, and for me he is a legend, why can’t we do that?"
"One thing he always says is that you don’t have to play 100 matches to gain experience. You can watch others play in two matches and learn from their experience. He is very friendly, and loves to be happy," Pant said.
Being a wicket-keeper expected to deliver with the bat is no easy task in international cricket and Pant is up for it.
Also Read: Pant set for WC berth pipping Karthik, Rahul set to be reserve opener
"Both things help each other. If you are keeping wickets for 90 or 100 overs, you know how the ball is coming off the pitch. You get more ideas than anybody else. That can benefit your batting. And if you are playing for a long time, you know how the pitch is behaving. If you are playing for the country, there is ample energy inside you," Pant smiles.
With 684 runs, Pant was the second highest run scorer of the 2018 season of IPL, and he is gearing up for another exciting season ahead.
Pant signs off with his hopes aiming for the sky, but with his feet on the crease "I am looking forward to making a winning contribution. This year, the Delhi team is a good combination of youngsters and experienced players. Youngsters have the energy, and experience is equally important. We have the right mix. This season, we believe that we are going to win, for the fans and for our team. We can give them the trophy this year."
