"Winning is always the better option" - Rishabh Pant reflects on Australia heroics
Rishabh Pant shook the cricketing world twice with his scintillating batting in the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Reflecting upon the series Down Under, the southpaw said he always looks to win, and that's what keeps him going.
A draw seemed a great accomplishment for the visitors on the 5th morning of the Brisbane Test, with over 300 runs to chase on a crack-filled Gabba surface. However, Rishabh Pant stood in Australia's way and scored a magnificent 89 to script an incredible comeback win for India.
Talking to The Times of India, Pant remarked that nothing matches the 'high' of winning India's games.
"Losing is not an option, but winning is always the better option. The mindset was that I had to win the series for my team, then this tour would be truly memorable. At the end of the day, it’s all about winning matches for India. Nothing matches the high it gives you," said Pant.
Pant fittingly led his team's victory lap at the Gabba with the Indian tricolour held high in his hands.
I could have won the Sydney Test had I batted longer: Rishabh Pant
Before his Brisbane heroics, Rishabh Pant had brought India back from a long-lost position in Sydney with a 97 that epitomized counter-attacking batting. In the end, Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin batted out over 43 overs together to save the game for India.
The 23-year-old believes that he could have won India that game as well.
"Even when I got out for 97 on the last day in Sydney, I thought I could have won the match had I batted longer. It didn’t matter that I had to take two injections and sedatives before batting. I was in a zone and didn’t want to throw away opportunities. So I ensured I was there at the end in Brisbane," said Pant.
Rishabh Pant concluded the tour as India's highest run-scorer with 274 runs to his name. His average of over 68 was also the best in the series from both teams.