New Delhi, March 11 India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is widely praised for his unorthodox playing style and effortless six-hitting skills but during his early cricketing days he was forced to learn defensive play by his then coach Tarak Sinha.
Pant, who was part of India's Champions Trophy-winning squad, did not get a chance to play a single game in India's title-winning Champions Trophy campaign as KL Rahul was picked ahead of him.
Sharing an anecdote of his cricketing journey, Pant revealed how his coach used to react to his aggressive batting style in the nets.
"When I started playing after moving from Roorkee, I mostly played lofted shots - almost 80% of the time. I didn’t think about playing along the ground because I used to open the innings. My father always said that playing against your age group is normal, but if you want to improve in cricket, you must compete with older players. So, from a young age, he pushed me to participate in senior tournaments. Even when I was 10 or 11, I played in open tournaments," Pant said on JioHotstar.
"When I joined Tarak sir, he used to get really angry. He had one rule - ‘You must learn defense first. If you master defense, you’ll master everything else.’ He believed I already knew how to hit big shots, so he wanted me to learn how to defend. I used to keep an eye on him while batting. If he was watching, I’d play proper defense, playing drives and textbook shots. But the moment I saw him looking away, I would go back to playing my natural attacking game," he added.
Speaking on his flexibility and acrobatic body type, Pant credited his agility to gymnastics which he used to practice as a kid.
"I used to do gymnastics as a kid. My gymnastics coach always told me that it would come in handy in life. Basu Sir, our Indian team trainer, once told me in 2018-19, ‘Thank you to your gymnastics coach because what he taught you in childhood is still benefiting you today.’ I kept practicing hand springs, and it has played a huge role in my fitness for sure," he said.
Pant will lead the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. He was signed by the franchise for a record-shattering Rs 27 crore in last year's mega auction.
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