48 OUTLOOK 8 July 2019
F1 BAT SPEED
by Qaiser Mohammad AliH
E has raw, uninhibited power,
and his shots radiate class. And
he can entertain the crowds
with humongous sixes, summo
ned almost at will. He is Rish
abh Pant, India’s most exciting
young wicketkeeperbatsman. A bats
man, mor eover, cast in the Virender
Sehwag esque mouldnot just in
terms of brisk scoring, but also in diet.
Both were brought up on a heavy, sta
ple diet of milk that gave them enough
strength to smite balls a long distance
without a fuss.
But unlike Sehwag, Pant would drink
the Maltova-mixed milk directly from
the jug, in a few quaffs, so fond he was of
it. Pant would also carry two tiffin boxes
to school--one to eat during school
hours, and the other after his daily extra
practice sessions following his classes.
Those gruelling sessions comprised
running extra rounds to burn calories,
besides polishing his wicket-keeping
and batting. From an early stage, Pant’s
ability to clear the boundary at will left
everyone mesmerised, first in domestic
tournaments and now internationally.
Pant’s big knocks, studded with massive
hits that demoralised opponents earned
him the India T20 cap in 2017. The
21-year-old player is now with the Indian
team at the World Cup in England, sent as
a replacement for the injured Shikhar
Dhawan. Pant missed the bus initially,
apparently narrowly, but not before the
nation debated whether he or Dinesh
Karthik was more deserving of a World
Cup XV spot. Karthik got the nod; Pant
was put on standbye. They may have
plumped for experience, that cherished
commodity, but Pant has made such an
impact on selectors, team management,
and fans that despite three wicket-keep-ers in the squad—M.S. Dhoni, Karthik,
and K.L. Rahul—selectors still picked him.
Pant’s coach and Dronacharya Award
winner Tarak Sinha says his ward
should have been picked initially. “But
my opinion doesn’t count much as the
selectors must have had good reasons
to not pick him in the XV. They must
have obviously thought about the
team’s betterment. Rishabh was disap-
pointed, but I told him that age was on
his side and that he had a bright future,”
Sinha, who has produced many interna-
tional players from his Delhi-based
Sonnet Club, tells Outlook.
Following his rapid rise from school
cricket in his hometown Roorkie inUttarakhand and local age-group tourna-
ments, Pant seems to have cemented his
place in the Test team, besides being the
heir apparent to Dhoni in the two limit-
ed-over formats. It shouldn’t surprise if
he, like Dhoni, becomes the first-choice
stumper for all three formats.
Pant had a good 2019 season with
Delhi Capitals, aggregating 488 runs at
a strike rate of 162.66 to become the
seventh top-scorer of the IPL. That
performance, plus his fine wicket-keep-
ing (he equalled the world record of 11
catches in the Adelaide Test) and bat-
ting (350 runs at an average of 58.33) in
the four-Test series in Australia in
2018-19 had the selectors convinced.
“He is very much in our World Cup plans.He’s a champion in the making and even
he’s not fully aware the kind of potential
he has,” selection committee chairman
M.S.K. Prasad had said in January.
Still, Pant was ignored for the World
Cup as Karthik and “three-dimensional”
Vijay Shankar were preferred. But to
keep him match-fit, the selectors picked
him for India ‘A’ to tour the West Indies.
Then, Shikhar Dhawan got injured, and
Pant replaced him. This, points out Sinha,
has happened due to a remarkable imp-
rovement in Pant’s temperament, bes-
ides his core wicket-keeping and batting
abilities. “Wicket-keeping is most diffi-
cult in Tests. And Rishabh has improved
in Tests, and also as a batsman. His two
centuries, against England at The Oval in
2018 and against Australia in Sydney this
January are proof enough that he has
patience, and that his temperament has
improved. When he was leaving for the
World Cup, I reminded him that every
run matters,” says Sinha, who doubles up
as Pant’s financial advisor.
Post-IPL, Sinha made Pant work on
his shortcomings in his wicket-keeping
after his performance behind the wick-
ets was criticised in the home ODI ser-
ies against Australia in March. “If you
consider him as India’s best wick-
et-keeper, you should ignore such err-
ors. And batting-wise, I advised him to
not to chase records and instead let
rec ords chase him,” says Sinha.
Krishna Bhaskar Pillai, who saw Pant
from close up as chief Delhi coach a few
seasons ago, is completely captivated by
him. “He’s very confident and has enor-
mous self-belief—hallmark of a great
cricketer. Like Sehwag, when he has to
hit, he hits...there’s no hesitation. His bat
speed is so good that nine out of 10 times
he connects. He is confident about hit-
ting the ball over long-on and long-off
fielders, against a pacer or a spinner, dueDial R For Hit Parade
Under Rishabh Pant’s staggering talent lies true grit. He can set the World Cup alight.
Pant pairs his big-hitting
ability with good ’keeping
and patience. Endowed
with lots of self-belief
like all top players, he has
tremendous stamina too.