Team India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant recently joined Tanmay Bhat’s YouTube channel. At 26, Pant was questioned about his ability to grasp Rohit Sharma‘s messages, given Rohit’s distinctive Mumbai-style language. Pant noted that while he can interpret Rohit’s on-field communication, he struggles with the opener’s off-field conversations. He commented (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 shared a funny story about his attempt to sledge Virat Kohli during the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) league-stage match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).
Although Pant did not play in the match due to a one-game suspension for his team’s third slow over-rate violation, he still managed to participate by trying to distract Kohli from behind the sightscreen.
The DC skipper stated 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 lost the match by 47 runs and did not make it to the playoffs, finishing sixth with 7 wins and 7 losses from 14 games.
“There was a lot of freedom and understanding” – Rishabh Pant shares on his bond with Ravi Shastri
In a similar clip, Rishabh Pant commented on how much he relished playing under ex-India chief coach Ravi Shastri. The southpaw said Shastri allowed him to play as he wished by giving him the liberty.
He proposed that instead of telling him to stop doing something, Shastri would suggest an alternative approach. Pant disclosed that at one point in his career as a cricketer turned commentator, he had advised him to employ the reverse-sweep 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).
After a span of almost 20 months, Rishabh Pant makes a comeback into the Test side for the country. From September 19 onwards, he is part of the Indian squad for their two-match home Test series versus Bangladesh.
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