3 things you probably didn't know about Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant's rise in international cricket has served as an inspiration to several aspiring cricket stars. The 24-year-old has successfully carved a niche for himself in the star-studded Indian lineup with his fearless outlook.
The talented youngster is currently the first-choice keeper-batter for India across formats. He has already guided the side to many momentous victories in his short career.
From his street-smart approach behind the stumps to his role as a swashbuckler in the batting order, Pant has excelled in several departments to emerge as one of the country's most sought-after cricketers.
He played some impactful knocks during the Under-19 World Cup in 2016. He was signed by the Delhi Capitals (DC) soon after. Pant has also showcased his prowess as a leader with his impressive captaincy stints with the Delhi-based franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
While most ardent cricket fans would already know a lot about the southpaw's cricketing journey, here are three things about Pant that most people probably don't know.
#3 Rishabh Pant always wanted i20 to be his first car
Rishabh Pant is known to be an automobile enthusiast and has a number of swanky luxury cars parked in his garage. However, during an interview in January 2019, he revealed that he always wanted i20 to be his first car.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Pant had mentioned that he would purchase the same car even if he had ₹100 crore. When he finally made some money by playing cricket, he went to buy his favourite car along with his coach Devender Sharma.
"For some reason, I have always loved that car from childhood. Gaya hoga usmey, yaad nahi ab but all I knew was that it would be my first car. Even if I have 100 crores, I wanted to buy that."
The left-handed batter currently has an enviable car collection. The Audi A8, Mercedes Benz C-Class, Ford Mustang and Mercedes GLE are some of the cars owned by Pant.
#2 He is the brand ambassador of Uttarakhand
While Rishabh Pant has represented the Delhi team in domestic cricket, his hometown is Roorkee in Uttarakhand. Notably, the star cricketer is also the brand ambassador of the state of Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami had made the announcement in December last year. Speaking about the appointment, he had mentioned that the government chose Pant as the Brand Ambasador with the aim of encouraging the youth towards sports and public health.
Rishabh Pant wrote on Twitter:
"Coming from a small town of Roorkee, I am confident that the people here have the ability to make the country proud in various fields of life."
Coming from a small town of Roorkee, I am confident that the people here have the ability to make the country proud in various fields of life.
#1 He moved to Rajasthan to play domestic cricket, but later, settled down to play for Delhi
Rishabh Pant's childhood coach Tarak Sinha had advised the player to shift his base to Rajasthan for better cricketing opportunities. The talented glovesman did the same and even represented Rajasthan at the U-14 and U-16 levels.
However, Rishabh Pant apparently had to face discrimination in the Rajasthan camp for being an outsider. He soon moved back to Delhi to get his career back on track.
He made his Ranji Trophy debut for Delhi in October 2015. The dynamic batter delivered impactful performances for the side over the years in domestic cricket.
It is worth mentioning that he replaced Gautam Gambhir as the team's captain for the the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy.