3 instances when Rishabh Pant got booed by the crowd
It's been a long and winding road for Rishabh Pant in international cricket. From being booed by his home crowd to becoming one of the biggest rising superstars of this generation, the Delhi lad has come a long way.
Initially fast-tracked into the Indian side after his exceptional performances at the U-19 level, he was soon labeled as MS Dhoni's successor in the Indian side. Things weren't as straightforward for him though.
There were times when the Indian fans refused to acknowledge Pant, criticizing him every step of the way. His wicketkeeping left a lot to be desired in the first few years of his international career.
While his stroke-making ability was never in doubt, there were far too many instances in his early career where he seemed to be throwing his wicket away.
Such issues meant that the Indian fans felt both frustrated and angry with the southpaw in the early stages of his career.
Now that Rishabh Pant seems set to put his name in the history books as one of India's all-time greats, it's interesting to look back at his struggles. In this article, we take a look at three times the Delhi lad was booed by the Indian crowd.
MS Dhoni chants in Thiruvananthapuram
Virat Kohli's reaction when crowd were booing Rishabh Pant. ❤️❤️ https://t.co/TVpzHWoqaB
During India's second T20I against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram on December 8, 2019 - part of a three-match series - crowds ruthlessly trolled the young wicketkeeper. The situation got slightly annoying at one point when Rishabh Pant dropped a catch of Evin Lewis.
Some parts of the crowd instantly started booing the left-hander, while some sections chanted MS Dhoni's name. This provoked an agitated reaction from India captain Virat Kohli, who urged the crowd to back their own player.
This was a period following India's semi-final exit in the 2019 ICC World Cup. Pant had been brought into the Indian side after initially being left out. However, he failed to impress and many believed that the left-handed batter needs more time on the sidelines before regaining his place in the team.
That sentiment may have added to the hostility of the crowd when he made a big error. Eventually, Lewis was out stumped by Rishabh Pant off the bowling off Washington Sundar. However, that wasn't enough as India lost the match easily by 8 wickets.
Rishabh Pant gets booed at Mohali
India had hosted Australia for a five-match ODI series in 2019 prior to the World Cup that year. MS Dhoni had played the first three ODIs of this series but was then rested. Rishabh Pant came in for the last two games.
India had won the first two matches and looked on course to win the third one also. However, a batting collapse kept the Australians alive in the series as they went into the fourth game trailing 1-2.
In the fourth ODI at Mohali, the Delhi Capitals captain faced backlash from Indian supporters. This time, it was for missing a straight forward stumping chance to dismiss Ashton Turner on 38.
Australia were chasing a massive target of 359 and India seemed to have things in control. However, this miss of Pant proved costly as Turner went on to play a match-winning knock of 84 from just 43 balls and help Australia level the 5-match series at 2-2.
Unfortunately, the young wicketkeeper became the center of attention after his mistake and was booed by the Mohali crowd. India eventually lost the series by going down in the last ODI as well.
These two matches were seen as a massive missed opportunity by the Roorke-born keeper and he failed to make the cut for the Indian team originally picked for the ODI World Cup in England.
Trolled during a practice session at Pune
I still remember 11th October,2019
India vs South Africa 2nd Test, Pune
Day 2, Lunch break
@RishabhPant17 was out for some training session with test of the squad. While sprinting he fell & crowd started laughing at him & booed him. https://t.co/BD4rt5eR94
Rishabh Pant was on the bench for India's Test match against South Africa in Pune in 2019. While he might have been off the field, the heat was on for the youngster.
During a practice sessions taking place at Lunch on Day 2, the wicketkeeper stepped onto the field for his training drills. The youngster lost his footing while sprinting and fell awkwardly, resulting in a huge boo and laughs from the crowds.
In typical fashion, the Delhi lad saw the funny side of it and interacted with the crowds, smiling and waving at them.
It was a tough time for Pant as he had lost his place in the Test team to Wriddhiman Saha. Pant remained on the margins until the famous tour of Australia in 2020-21. He was kept out of the team for the first Test of that series but his performances in the last three games wiped away all doubts about his ability.