Rishabh Pant - The next big thing in Indian cricket
Rishabh Pant, the left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman from Haridwar, has taken huge strides in his cricketing career. He has become one of India's latest batting sensations.
With the kind of batting might shown by him in the recent past, he is surely the one to look out for in the future. Let us have a look at some of the major tournaments that have led to the build-up to his career so far:
Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2016
Rishabh Pant rose to fame in the Under 19 World Cup in 2016. He got selected for the Under 19 team after performing well in the Tri-Nation series comprising of India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
He was appointed as the vice-captain of the team for the tournament. He performed consistently well in the tournament and also ended up scoring the fastest 50 off 18 balls against Nepal.
He was instrumental in helping India advance to the finals of the tournament. Though India ended up on the losing side in the finals, he made a big name for himself, scoring 267 runs in 6 matches at an average of 44.5 and strike rate over a run a ball.
Indian Premier League 2016
His consistency and style of play had highly impressed the Delhi Daredevils, who bought him for Rs.1.9 crore for the 2016 season. However, Pant could only show flashes of his talent as he was only able to score 198 runs at an average of 24.75 in 10 matches.
Ranji Trophy 2016-17
Rishabh Pant returned to play for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy. In the tournament, he was the highest run scorer for Delhi, smashing 972 runs in 8 matches at an average of 81.
He hit 4 centuries and 2 fifties at a strike rate of 107.28. With a 48 balls century against Jharkhand, Pant recorded the fastest century in the Ranji Trophy history.
International T20 Debut against England
Pant was selected in the Indian team for the T20Is against England after his exceptional performances at the domestic level. He made his debut on February 1, 2017, in the third T20 match of the series. He was then the youngest player to debut for India in a T20Is.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2017-18
Delhi won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2017-18 after beating Rajasthan in the finals. Rishabh Pant ended up as the joint highest run scorer of the tournament with 411 runs in 10 matches at an average of 45.66.
In the game against Himachal Pradesh, he scored an unbeaten 116 where he brought up his century off just 32 balls. This was the also the fastest T20 century scored by an Indian. The feat made him the second fastest centurion in T20 cricket. His knock had 104 runs in fours and sixes as he smashed 8 fours and 12 sixes respectively.
Indian Premier League 2018
After starting the year on a high an excellent performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Rishabh Pant carried on his performance as he went into the IPL where he was retained by the Delhi Daredevils.
The southpaw ended up as the second highest run-getter in the tournament, scoring 684 runs in 14 games at an average of 52.61 with a strike rate of 173.60. He scored 1 century and 5 fifties in the tournament.
The attacking batsman recorded 37 sixes in the entire tournament, the maximum in the 2018 leg of the tournament. He received the award for the Emerging Player of the IPL and also the award for the Stylish Player of the Tournament.
Drafted in place of Dinesh Karthik for the 3rd Test of the Test series against England
Rishabh Pant was awarded his first Test cap in the 3rd Test against England at Nottingham in 2018. He replaced the experienced Dinesh Karthik and started his Test career in style by hitting the second ball of his career for a six.
In the tough England tour, he scored 162 runs in the 3 games he played. His best innings came in the final Test, where he scored a vital 114 runs, stitching a 204 run partnership with KL Rahul.
Test Series against the West Indies
He was selected in the side for the Test series against the West Indies. He did not disappoint the selectors as he scored two successive scores of 92 in the 1st and 2nd Test.
In reply to the Windies' 311 in the first innings of the 2nd Test, the Indians were in a spot of bother at 162/4. It was at this juncture where he joined hands with Ajinkya Rahane, and the duo stitched together a partnership of 152 runs. He showed immense character and grit in the 92 runs he scored during the innings.
Selected in the ODI team for the series against the West Indies
Rishabh Pant was rewarded for his current form with his first ODI cap in the 1st ODI of the ODI series against the West Indies. However, he did not get a chance to bat as India chased down the target of 323 with 8 wickets in hand owing to the heroics of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The expectations are bound to be high from Pant with the performances he has put at both the domestic and international level.
Rishabh Pant, although with a long way to go, will definitely be the one to watch out for in future.