India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s fortune changed completely after India’s tour of Australia in 2020–21, and he has now established himself as the first-choice wicketkeeper in the Indian Cricket Team.
However, it was not at all easy for Pant, who worked so hard to get back into Team India after he was dropped from the national side following the ICC 2019 World Cup.
Now, the youngster says that the most satisfying thing about himself is that he has improved a lot as a wicketkeeper.
Pant told The Week in an interview, “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.”
Apart from his wicket-keeping, Pant has also worked a lot on his batting and the left-hander said that he is enjoying the space he is in and just following the path he has paced for himself.
He added, “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.”
Pant has continuously been getting valuable inputs from his captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid. He also revealed how they are helping him learn and grow with each passing day.
He signed off by saying, “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.”
