Rishabh Pant (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images) Rishabh Pant is in the 10th year of his international cricket career. During those nine years, he constantly inspired raging debates. Eyeballs crave him even though he is not part of the Indian team. Last week, when videos of Pant training in Mumbai and Chennai emerged, he caught fire on social media, barely days after India became the first team to defend the World T20 title. This could be a defining year for Pant, starting with the IPL. The white ball has not been a definitive part of the Indian team since winning the T20 World Cup in June 2024. In fact, he only played two T20Is and one ODI after Gautam Gambhir took charge of the Indian team. He remained the back-up wicketkeeper in the ODI setup. As India begins preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, a good IPL could keep him ahead of the likes of Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson.
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Cricket stars gather for Kuldeep Yadav’s grand wedding reception | A night full of stars Since recovering from a side strain he suffered in the second week of January, he has been traveling the country to find the best training sessions. Pant’s preparations go beyond just fighting for his place in India’s white ball XI or justifying being named the IPL’s most expensive player. That he spent four intense days with Yuvraj Singh in Mumbai may seem like he is following in the footsteps of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. Unlike Samson, who went to resurrect his technique ahead of the T20 World Cup, Pant approached Yuvraj to clear the cobwebs from his mind. Pant and Yuvraj have shared a strong bond for many years. But the bond runs deeper as Pant survived a horrific car accident in December 2022. Both touched death and came back to field for India when few gave them a chance to even lead a normal life. They share a common outlook on life. For Pant, spending time with Yuvraj was more about reassurance about his approach than just working on the technical aspects of the game. Those who watched Pant during his time endlessly warming the benches with India’s white-ball team will tell you that he puts himself through punishing training sessions – both in the nets and off the field. Lucknow Super Giants recently released a video of 21-year-old batsman Mukul Choudhary waiting for nearly two hours for Pant to come out of the nets. Soham Desai, India’s former strength and conditioning coach, mentioned how Pant used to drag him to the gym whenever he had time off, without worrying about workload management programs during last year’s ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai. Former national selector Devang Gandhi, who was part of the committee that fast-tracked Pant, pointed out that Pant has a knack for bouncing back from difficult situations. “He has always been under intense scrutiny. But he has made exciting comebacks. He helped India win the Test series in Australia in 2020-21 after being asked to warm the bench for most of the tour. He had a cracking IPL after coming back from an accident before making India’s T20 World Cup squad in 2024. And then he had a stellar regime after a tough Test series in Australia and I. that Pant is mentally very strong.” Gandhi told TOI. Pant can be expected to bat at No.3 for LSG this season after having a forgettable season batting lower down the order. Pant’s decision to bat in the middle order baffled pundits as Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid used him at No. 3 in the T20 World Cup. “He has to face more balls in the innings. I hope he gets rid of the risks that come with playing reverse sweeps and fancy ramps. He has solid technique and can play pace and bounce better than most in India. That’s what you’ll be looking for against quality fast bowling in South African conditions. Whatever videos I’ve seen on social media, it looks like he trusts him and his core players Havraj and Yu count. Pant has been given time off to work on his cricket and is fresh from the IPL, which is a luxury for an Indian cricketer. Preparations are complete. It’s about execution and earning your place in the Indian white ball setup.
