There was a time, a year and a half ago, when Rishabh Pant felt stranded. Not like when he hops down the pitch and misses a wild swing. This was off the field. Critics were on his back, complaining that he was too inconsistent. There was reportedly not much support from captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri either. Pant, 23, was out of the ODI team and was not the first-choice keeper in home Tests.
As for away Tests, he was dropped for the first one against Australia in December 2020. Wriddhiman Saha got the nod instead.
A disastrous Test later—India were bundled out for 36 in Adelaide—Pant returned to the team. Two weeks later, he had cemented his spot.
He had scored 89 on the last day of the fourth Test to hand Australia its first loss at the Gabba in 32 years. India won the series 2-1. Nine fours, one six and seemingly limitless self-belief; these were the ingredients that made that once-in-a-career inning.
Pant had proven why he had been talked of as a long-term successor to M.S. Dhoni. He had clawed his way out of a career trough and flew back to India his happy, impish self.
A year and a few months later, he has reason to smile again. His personal growth aside, he has now found support like never before under the new team management. Pant had been nervous, what with his form and the uncertainty about his place in the team. Reportedly, he had even been told that Rahul Dravid’s arrival as a coach might hurt his case. But Rohit Sharma, who has been close to Pant, gave him a lot of reassurance when he became captain, THE WEEK has learnt.
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