"I don't understand much" - Rishabh Pant's hilarious comment on Rohit Sharma's quirky communication style
Team India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant recently appeared on Tanmay Bhat's YouTube channel. The 26-year-old was asked if he understands Rohit Sharma's messages as he speaks in a typical Mumbai-style language.
Pant mentioned while he is successful in decoding Rohit's on-field messages, he finds it tough to understand the ace opener's words off the field. He said (from 11:06):
"I understand what he is saying on the ground. However, I don't understand much when it comes to off the field."
Rishabh Pant also opened up on his hilarious attempt to sledge Virat Kohli during Delhi Capitals' (DC) Ieague-stage match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).
It is worth mentioning that Pant didn't feature in the contest as he was handed a one-match ban due to his team's third slow over-rate offense. However, he still found a way to get involved in DC's must-win encounter as he tried to distract Kohli from behind the sightscreen.
The DC skipper said about the incident (from 7:27):
"It was one of the most important matches of the season for us and we needed to perform well. I couldn't play that match and was thinking what could I do from the outside?"
DC suffered a 47-run defeat to RCB in the fixture. The Rishabh Pant-led side failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing sixth in the standings with seven wins and as many losses from 14 outings.
"There was a lot of freedom and understanding" - Rishabh Pant on his equation with Ravi Shastri
In the same video, Rishabh Pant spoke about how he enjoyed playing under former India head coach Ravi Shastri. The southpaw mentioned he had the freedom to express himself on the field during Shastri's stint.
He suggested Shastri wouldn't ask him to stop doing a particular thing, but would instead come up with an alternative plan. Pant disclosed how the cricketer-turned-commentator once asked him to use the reverse sweep to overcome his struggles against off-spinners.
"It was an amazing relationship. There was a lot of freedom and understanding with Ravi bhai. Instead of telling me not to do something, he would give me a better option. I believe in that approach. I don't like when someone says that this cannot be done. I was getting out to off-spinners very often at one point. He told me that I needed to do something about facing off-spinners. He asked me to start playing the reverse sweep against off-spinners," he said (from 21:50).
Rishabh Pant has returned to India's Test team after nearly 20 months. He is part of India's squad for their two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, beginning September 19.