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Cricket has found its another star. A star that is shining in all its glory and is set to capture the imagination of not just India, but perhaps, the entire world. Rishabh Pant, the Delhi lad, who has had some amazing innings in a short time is all set for a dynamic career in Indian & International Cricket.
Dedicated, humble, and superbly talented, we are excited to see him breaking records and bringing home some sweet victories. With the future so bright, we decided to glimpse into Rishabh Pant’s life story and understand the qualities that make him a champ!
Rishabh Pant Biography
Details | |
Full Name | Rishabh Pant |
Age | 23 years |
Gender | Male |
Sport Category | Cricket ( Wicketkeeper Batsman) |
Date of Birth | 4th October 1997 |
Hometown | Roorkee, Uttarakhand |
Height | 1.70 m |
Weight | 65 kg |
Coach | Tarak Sinha |
Achievement | He is the first batsman for India to get off the mark in Test cricket with a six. 2nd-youngest wicket-keeper and the 1st Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in England |
Networth | $7 - 8 Million |
Spouse | Unmarried |
Parent | Saroj Pant, Rajendra Pant |
ODI Debut | vs West Indies at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Oct 21, 2018 |
Test Debut | vs England at Trent Bridge, Aug 18, 2018 |
Batting Style | Left Handed Bat |
Teams Played for | Delhi, India U19, Delhi Capitals, India, India A, North Zone, India Blue, India Red, Indian Board Presidents XI, Asia XI |
IPL Debut | vs Gujarat Lions at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Apr 27, 2016 |
Captain | Delhi Capitals [IPL-2021] |
Alma Mater | The Indian Public School, Dehradun |
Playing Position | Middle order batsman |
How It All Began for Rishabh Pant
Born and brought up in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Rishabh was fascinated with cricket right from childhood. Due to a lack of infrastructural opportunities, Rishabh had to move from one city to another. When he was 12 years old, his parents decided to move to Delhi. Here, Rishabh got an opportunity to train under coach Tarak Sinha.
Sinha had previously trained Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan. Sinha’s guidance helped Rishabh to develop a solid base. Later, he moved to Rajasthan to participate in the district-level cricket tournaments. Rishabh was treated as an outsider there and came back to Delhi to finish his schooling.
Soon, Rishabh made his first-class debut. He had just turned 18 then and kicked off his debut with a half-century.
Early Days
Rishabh was a clear player for India at the ICC U-19 World Cup. His three consecutive fifties and 78 off 24 balls against Nepal helped him take the team to the finals. He also scored 111 off 96 balls against Namibia. Though India U-19 lost the finals, Rishabh’s performance stood out and a potential star was born.
The Personal Setback
Everything was working very well for Rishabh when he received a huge blow. His father, Rajendra Pant passed away due to a cardiac arrest in 2017. Rishabh’s father was his biggest supporter and losing him affected Rishabh a lot. However, he wasn’t going to sit and cry, he decided to perform even better for his father. He made a half-century in just 33 balls and displayed immense professionalism.
Take a bow Rishabh Pant scores half century in 33 balls who joined the team yesterday after performing last rites of his deceased father..
— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) April 8, 2017
Rishabh Pant IPL
Rishabh was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for a staggering amount of Rs. 1.9 crore in 2016. He proved to be absolutely worth the money by scoring 198 runs in 10 matches.
Players with some of the cricketing legends have truly been an enriching experience for Rishabh. In an interview with the India Times, he said-
“It helps a lot. They have played the game at the very highest level and won everything there is to win. Their experience and insights are great to learn from. (But) It is ultimately about going out there and playing the game the best way that you can. And none of them will ever tell you to change your style.”
This guidance is sure to benefit Rishabh tremendously.
In the 2017 edition of the league, Rishabh scored a blazing 97 runs from just 43 balls to guide Delhi Daredevils to victory against the Gujarat Lions.
Rishabh continued his stellar run with a stunning 128 not out from 63 balls in the 2018 edition of the league. It earned him the distinction of achieving the highest individual score by an Indian cricketer in a Twenty20 match.
It isn’t surprising then that he was awarded the ‘Emerging Player of the Season’ in 2018. He was also the second-highest run-scorer in the edition of the league.
Pravin Amre, Delhi Daredevils’ assistant coach, was talking about Rishabh to ESPN in an interview.
He said, “He would achieve his targets effortlessly. His bat swing is very good and the power with which he hits is eye-catching. Rishabh did very well in our practice games and we had planned then to use him properly in the IPL.”
In the year 2021, the 14th season of the IPL, it brought a huge responsibility and an opportunity for the 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman. Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer had to drop out of the team due to a shoulder injury. Consequently, the Delhi Capitals team management showed trust in its youth policy and gave Rishabh Pant the opportunity to lead the side. This is to be noted that Rishabh got the captaincy above of the experienced players like Steve Smith, Shikhar Dhawan, and R. Ashwin.
🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
Rishabh Pant will be our Captain for #IPL2021 ✨@ShreyasIyer15 has been ruled out of the upcoming season following his injury in the #INDvENG series and @RishabhPant17 will lead the team in his absence 🧢#YehHaiNayiDilli
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 30, 2021
Rishabh Pant IPL Stats
| Batting and Fielding | Mat | No | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | CT | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 83 | 13 | 2492 | 128* | 35.60 | 1,688 | 147.63 | 1 | 15 | 224 | 113 | 55 | 14 |
| 2021 | 15 | 4 | 413 | 58* | 37.54 | 320 | 129.06 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 10 | 9 | 3 |
| 2020 | 14 | 3 | 343 | 56 | 31.18 | 301 | 113.95 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 9 | 13 | 0 |
| 2019 | 16 | 3 | 488 | 78* | 37.53 | 300 | 162.66 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 27 | 18 | 6 |
| 2018 | 14 | 1 | 684 | 128* | 52.61 | 394 | 173.60 | 1 | 5 | 68 | 37 | 4 | 2 |
| 2017 | 14 | 0 | 366 | 97 | 26.14 | 221 | 165.61 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 24 | 8 | 3 |
| 2016 | 10 | 2 | 198 | 69 | 24.75 | 152 | 130.26 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
Indian National Team
It isn’t surprising that his exploits in the U-19 World Cup and IPL earned him a place in the Indian squad. He made his debut against England in a Twenty20 International match in 2017. His Test debut followed in August 2018 and his ODI debut in October 2018. Test debut was against England and ODI debut was against the West Indies.
“I prefer one-day cricket but my sir [Sinha] doesn’t consider anyone an international player until he plays a Test. For sir, I have to play Test cricket. I also want to play Tests. In our club, only Test players are called ‘country’ players by sir,” Pant told ESPNcricinfo in Mumbai.
Rishabh became the 291st Indian test cricket player in August 2018. Though the young lad couldn’t impress with his bat, he more than made up with his fielding. He took not one, nor two, but five stunning catches! with this achievement against England in Trent Bridge, Rishabh joined the illustrious list of Naren Tamhane, Kiran More, and Naman Ojha, who hold the same record. He did make a sizzling start by hitting a six on the first ball.
“I was nervous. Everyone is nervous when they play their first match. (But) when I see the ball, I don’t think too much, just react to it. I was playing normal cricket,” he told the Hindustan Times.
India vs Australia- Historic Win
Rishabh Pant registered his name in cricket books with a solid finish as he scored a masterful 89 off 138 balls. He remained unbeaten to lead India to a historic 3 wicket win. Rishabh’s performance helped team India beat Australia at the Gabba. Yes, no team had beaten the hosts at the Gabba in 31 years! But that record stands shattered thanks to Pant.
“This one of my biggest days in life. The support the team has given me even when I was not playing has been incredible. It’s a dream come true. We’ve been practicing hard after the first Test. The team management always backs me and tells me you are a match-winner and you have to go out there and win and I am happy I did it today. It was a fifth-day pitch and the ball was turning,” Pant said after hitting India’s winning runs.
Rishabh Pant Batting Style
“I play according to the merit of the ball. It’s important to back your natural game but you have to keep the situation in mind too. As I scored a century in the last match, it came after 150-odd deliveries. You can’t play every ball aggressively,” he told India TV News.
Rishabh likes to keep his basic style of playing the same for all tournaments. His fearless hitting has made him very popular among the masses. Fortunately for Rishabh, his game is very natural and he doesn’t have to exert himself too much for a forceful shot. His bat swing is superb and it isn’t surprising that bowlers are nervous when bowling to him.
Of course, getting that perfect swing took a lot of work. Rishabh focused on his basics and slowly developed his technique. He tended to try and hit only sixes initially, but now he is going beyond raw, power-hitting.
Rishabh Pant Stats
Batting Stats
Format | M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Test 2018– | 25 | 42 | 3 | 1549 | 159* | 39.7 | 2289 | 67.7 | 3 | 7 | 164 | 34 |
ODI 2018– | 18 | 16 | 0 | 529 | 78 | 33.1 | 463 | 114.2 | 0 | 3 | 48 | 21 |
T20I 2017– | 33 | 29 | 5 | 512 | 65* | 21.3 | 416 | 123.1 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 21 |
IPL 2016– | 77 | 77 | 12 | 2327 | 128* | 35.8 | 1551 | 150.0 | 1 | 14 | 211 | 109 |
Format | Catches | Run Outs | Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|
Test 2018– | 89 | 1 | 8 |
ODI 2018– | 9 | 0 | 1 |
T20I 2017– | 9 | 1 | 5 |
IPL 2016– | 51 | 5 | 13 |
The estimated net worth of Rishabh is approximate $7-8 Million/Rs. 45 crore as of 2021.
Interesting Facts on Rishabh Pant
- Rishabh Pant is a big fan of Adam Gilchrist. In fact, he decided to become a wicketkeeper-batsman because of him.
- He is the third-youngest Indian to score a triple century in first-class cricket scoring 308 off 326 balls against Maharashtra in the 2016 Ranji Trophy tournament.
- He holds the distinction of being the second wicket-keeper to score a triple century in the Ranji Trophy.
- Another record he holds is that of scoring the fastest century in Ranji Trophy 2016-17. It just took him 48 balls!
- He is the first Indian cricketer to smash a six on the first ball of his Test cricket debut.
- Rahul Dravid played a huge role in shaping Rishabh’s career when he was in India A team.
- Rishabh prefers to relax by listening to music, going for treks, or for swimming.
- His favorite actress is Shraddha Kapoor and the actors are Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.
- Rishabh is a huge football fan and supports Manchester United FC.
- Rishabh Pant owns a Mercedes-Benz GLC.
- He is known as a prankster in the team.
- He also gets bored with his look easily and likes to experiment with hair colors or explore better wardrobe choices.
It is good to see Rishabh learning a lot from Virat Kohli. The dashing captain is one of the best cricketers in the world, and Rishabh is lucky to be part of Virat’s team. Virat has time and again appreciated Rishabh.
Back to Australia. Looking forward to the next few weeks with this champion @RishabPant777 ✌️✌️ pic.twitter.com/Ikd8La5CUb
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) November 17, 2018
Conclusion
Rishabh believes in doing out-of-the-box things and surprises himself. This is just the beginning, he has a long way to go. With his immense talent and discipline, nothing can stop him from being an excellent wicket-keeper batsman.
Rishabh Pant Twitter
There’s no ideal way to put in hard work.Everyday is an opportunity. Grinding never stops. stay fit stay healthy 🤙🏻🏃🏻♂️🇮🇳@imVkohli pic.twitter.com/3bfVKpnBzw
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) November 17, 2018
#ODI PLAYER NUMBER 224 FOR INDIA. Such a proud moment to have earned this cap. Thank you God and everyone who have been part of this journey! ✌🏻 pic.twitter.com/Se0bJDY7vn
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) October 21, 2018
When you have senior like these @msdhoni @ImRaina pic.twitter.com/ApkOYYN8zD
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) May 16, 2018
