Rishabh Pant's transformation from a chirpy cricketer from Delhi to one of the best wicketkeeper-batters in the world hasn't been easy. Tarak Sinha, his late coach, had a crucial part in his development. Unfortunately, Rishabh's father, Rajendra, and coach, Sinha, both died while the cricketer was away for cricketing duties.
Pant's father died in his sleep at Roorkee in 2017, while Pant was playing for the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). Pant had raced back home to attend to his father's final rites before rejoining his team.
Tarak Sinha, on the other hand, died in November of last year after a protracted battle with lung cancer. Pant was a member of the Indian team competing in the T20 World Cup in 2021 when this occurred.
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Pant recounted the responsibilities his father and coach Sinha played in helping him become the cricketer he is today in an interview with the Times of India ahead of the IPL 2022 season opener. Pant became tearful as he recalled them and expressed his need for his father.
When asked who he now confides in, Pant said he sometimes talks to his mother and Devendra Sharma (Sinha's pupil and colleague at Sonnet Club), but no one can fill the vacuum left by his father and coach Sinha's death.
“I wanted to come back and meet him (chokes). I really miss my father. When my father left me, I was playing cricket. Tarak sir was like my second father. When he left us, I was again busy playing. These people have taken me where I stand today. I tried my best to provide all the support he (Tarak sir) needed from there. He told me, 'Doesn't matter what happens in life, you have to keep playing cricket. ' You need to take care of your family and that's what I have tried,” said the 24-year-old.
“No one can fill the void created by my father and Tarak sir. But you have to have people around you. I share my problems with my mother sometimes. Devendra Sharma (Sinha's student and colleague at Sonnet Club) is there. I have a really small circle. Everyone has his own place. Friends and family have their own separate places in my life,” he said.
