Rishabh Pant’s initiation into Test cricket happened all of a sudden. A combination of factors (injury to Wriddhiman Saha and batting struggles of Dinesh Karthik in England) forced India to look for another wicketkeeper. Pant, who was touring with the India A side in England, was called upon to the Test side. And made his debut in the third Test against England, perhaps is the most difficult place in the world for a cricketer from the subcontinent to bat and keep wickets.
Despite occasional blemishes, Pant, going by his number of dismissals and runs, passed that test. In nine Tests so far, he has 696 runs at 49.71, 40 catches and two stumpings.
Pant, like many modern era batsmen, plays aggressively. He became the first Indian batsman to open his Test cricket account with a six. There were doubts if he can curb his aggression in Test cricket, especially in Australia and England. But he made a century each in those two countries — the first Indian first wicket-keeper to do so.
Of his batting, the 21-year-old told ESPNCricinfo, “If you are playing days cricket and get out trying to hit a six, everybody knows and says it is irresponsible. But when it comes off, nobody says anything. The percentage is what matters.”
“If you are getting out in ten matches but are getting the results in nine of them, that is important. If my percentage of results is high, I only focus on my process. And if something is working for me, it might not work for someone else. Similarly if something is working for someone else, it might not always help me.”
In his 146-ball 114 at The Oval and 189-ball 159 in Sydney, Pant paced his innings well. He was patient to settle in, then, played the attacking shots.
“By now, at least this much I know: how to play in what situation,” he said. “Sometimes you have to curb your instincts, that is also important. At the end of the day, you have to score runs. Can’t play just to survive.”
Of his banter with the Australians, especially with the captain Tim Paine, Pant said, “See, we don’t go there to make the other team win the match. If you want to win it for your team, then [do] whatever it takes. They were also doing the same. Whoever executes the plans better wins.”
He added: “There is no chance I will cross the line because I have never done so.”
Pant said the stump mics being on doesn’t bother him that much. “Even if the mic is off, you can lip-read what is being said. I don’t feel the stump mics make that much of a difference,” he said.
