It’s a great time to be Rishabh Pant at the moment. After being initially left out of the World Cup squad, the wicket-keeper batsman was recently called in as injured Shikhar Dhawan’s replacement. It is a huge achievement for Pant, considering he made his debut less than a year ago. The 21-year old might even make his World Cup debut against West Indies at the Old Trafford. So, let us get to know the future Indian superstar a little better with 7 interesting Rishabh Pant facts:
7Struggle in Early Days:
Born in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Pant had to move a lot to find the perfect training academy. He first moved to Delhi where he started playing under Tarak Sinha at the Sonnet Cricket Academy.
Sinha suggested Pant move to Rajasthan to play U-13 and U-15. Young Rishabh followed his coach’s orders but was ousted in Rajasthan as an ‘outsider’. The southpaw eventually returned to Delhi and his old coach Tarak Sinha – who also coached Shikhar Dhawan.
6Fastest Fifty at U19 Level:
Rishabh Pant grabbed everyone’s attention at the 2016 U19 World Cup where India made it to the finals. Pant, opening the innings, played with the fearless attitude he is famous for. In the last group stage game against Nepal, he scored a 50 off just 18 balls, the fastest at the U19 level.
His knock of 78 off just 24 which included 9 fours and 5 sixes helped India chase down the target of 170 in less than 20 overs.
5Adam Gilchrist – Pant’s Idol:
An attacking and swashbuckling southpaw wicket-keeper batsman – does Rishabh Pant remind you of someone? It sure does – The Legendary Australian Adam Gilchrist. And it should come as a no surprise that Pant’s playing style is similar to the Australian as he followed and idolized Gilly since childhood.
4Record Breaker in the Domestic Circuit:
After making his domestic debut in 2015, playing for Delhi, Rishabh Pant quickly made a name for himself in the domestic circuit. In just a couple of years, the youngster broke a number of records with his bat.
In the 2016-17 season, Pant scored a triple century against Maharashtra, becoming the third youngest Indian to do so in The Ranji Trophy. Unsurprisingly, he scored his 308 off just 326 balls at the strike rate of 94.
A month later, Pant scored a century off just 48 balls against Jharkhand – Fastest in the Ranji Trophy history.
In January 2018, Pant scored the fastest century by an Indian in the T20 Cricket. Playing against Himachal Pradesh, the wicketkeeper-batsman reached the three-figure mark in just 32 balls. It was also the second fastest century in the T20 Cricket around the world, just 2 balls slower than Chris Gayle.
3Only Indian to get off the mark with a six in tests:
Sticking to his style of batting, Rishabh Pant opened his test account in style with a six. Facing Adil Rashid in his first inning at the Trent Bridge, Pant hit the leg spinner for a six in what was just the second ball of his test career. He also became the first Indian to get off the mark in test cricket with a six.
2Only Indian WK to score a century in England and Australia:
In India’s last test of the England tour in 2018, Pant scored his maiden test century on the last day of the match. He became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a century in England.
A few months later, the southpaw scored his second test century against Australia at Sydney. His exceptional knock of 159 not out created yet another record, making him the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a century in Australia. Two continents already off the bucket list – Talk about making an impact!
Pant also took eleven catches against Australia in the first test of the tour, most by an Indian wicketkeeper in tests.
12018 Emerging Player of the Year:
After making his test and ODI debut in 2018, Rishabh Pant was simply unstoppable. The youngster was especially impressive in the longer format, scoring 696 runs in 9 tests he played against England, West Indies and Australia. Averaging almost 50 in his first nine games, Pant has sealed the place in the test squad for some time to come.
And he was rightly awarded the 2018 Emerging Player of the Year award at the ICC Awards. He also found a place in the ICC Test Team of the Year, along with captain Kohli and Bumrah.
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