On Day 1 of the pink-ball Test between Australia and India in Adelaide, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer called Rishabh Pant his mate while also admitting that the wicketkeeper-batter was once his nemesis.

Notably, Pant was roped in by LSG for a hefty sum of INR 27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Saudi Arabia last month.

The southpaw is a leading contender to lead the Lucknow-based franchise in the upcoming season after they let go of former skipper KL Rahul. Hence, Pant will be seen working closely with Langer at LSG.

While performing commentary duties in the Adelaide Test, Langer, the former Australian coach, recalled how Pant haunted him with his knocks on the previous tours Down Under but mentioned that now both will be mates.

"Rishabh Pant has haunted me the most from the last two series. Now a week ago, I hope he’s my favourite person in the world with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) picking him. Now he’s my mate not my nemesis,” said Langer on-air.

It is pertinent to mention here that Rishabh Pant played crucial role in India’s Test series win on Australian soil in 2020-21. The left-hander slammed a magnificent 96 on Day 5 of the third Test in Sydney which kept India in the hunt of the huge target they were chasing. They eventually managed to draw the game which kept the series alive at 1-1.

In the series-decider at Gabba, Pant produced an iconic knock of 89 as India chased down the target of 328 to clinch the series 2-1.