Establishing himself as the first-choice wicketkeeper in the Indian Cricket Team was not at all easy for Rishabh Pant. He has to go through the grind before the captain and coach could show their faith in him. There were times when he found himself out of the set-up due to the mistakes he committed, either behind the wickets or with the bat in hand. But giving up was never an option for him.
He announced his return in style and helped his team script history in the Test series Down Under when more than half of the squad members were out with injuries. Since then, the fans and experts have been witnessing a newer and better version of Rishabh Pant.
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Speaking on the transition he went through in the past 2-3 years; Pant feels that he has been able to improve himself as a wicketkeeper. In an interview with ‘The Week’, he said,
“One satisfying aspect has been my wicketkeeping. I wanted to do that (improve). People are saying, “Oh, you have changed as a wicketkeeper, you have improved a lot in the past two years.” That is what I wanted to hear. I was working hard on this for the past two to three years, but it takes time to change people’s perception in India. That was one of my main goals.”
Pant has also worked a lot on his batting as well. He said he is enjoying the space he is in and just following the path he has paced for himself.
“I am in a happy zone with my batting. I am not thinking too much about what I have done or what I will do. I am just trusting my process and following the path I have laid by myself,” he said.
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Being one of the young faces of Team India, he has continuously been getting valuable inputs from captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid. Pant further explained how the dup is helping him learn and grow with each passing day.
“As a cricketer, you can cement your place in the side if you perform. But, at the same time, the captain and the coach help you improve your thought process, help you improve as a player. I had these small talks with Rahul bhai and Rohit bhai—they told me what they wanted me to do for the Indian team. I want to learn and improve every day. You have to keep working hard every day if you want to improve—that is the mantra I follow,” he added.
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