Mumbai: Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar, Pant said his only dream was to play for India:”Since childhood, I had only one dream—to play for India. I never even thought about playing in the IPL. I think today, people are more focused on the IPL. Of course, it’s a great platform, but I believe that if your goal is to play for your country, everything else—including the IPL—will eventually fall into place. If you have that bigger mindset, success will follow. I always believed that I would play for India one day, and God has been kind. At 18, I got the opportunity to make my debut, and I am grateful for that.”
Commenting on who has inspired him in playing unconventional shots, Rishabh Pant said: “Earlier, quite a few players played these shots. I have seen old videos of Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni), and he, too, has played the lap shot. But percentage-wise, I think they used to do it less. The game is changing now—field placements are different, and players are adapting. Some might feel it’s necessary for their game, while others may not. At the end of the day, how you read the game determines how you play it.”
Commenting on his flexibility and acrobatic style, Rishabh Pant said:” I used to do gymnastics as a kid. My gymnastics coach always told me that it would come in handy in life. Basu Sir, our Indian team trainer, once told me in 2018-19, ‘Thank you to your gymnastics coach because what he taught you in childhood is still benefiting you today.’ I kept practicing hand springs, and it has played a huge role in my fitness for sure.”
Commenting on the reason behind his bat slipping out of his hands at times, Rishabh Pant said: “I think it mostly happens because I hold my bottom hand very lightly. I mainly try to use my bottom hand for support because, at times, it starts dominating. So, I focus on gripping my top hand tightly. But when I overreach—especially when the ball is too wide or too short—it’s not always in the ideal hitting zone. Sometimes, the shot I attempt may only have a 30-40% success rate, but depending on the match situation, I’m willing to take that risk. That’s my mindset. When I take that chance and overreach, I need to do something to maintain balance. At times, it may look like I’m throwing the bat, but in reality, I’m just trying to make the most of that delivery. If my bat slips, if it’s not in my hand, or even if it hits my head—my only focus at that moment is finding the boundary. That’s my thought process.”
Commenting on his coach Tarak Sinha’s views on his shot selection and batting style, Rishabh Pant said: “When I started playing after moving from Roorkee, I mostly played lofted shots—almost 80% of the time. I didn’t think about playing along the ground because I used to open the innings. My father always said that playing against your age group is normal, but if you want to improve in cricket, you must compete with older players. So, from a young age, he pushed me to participate in senior tournaments. Even when I was 10 or 11, I played in open tournaments. When I joined Tarak Sir, he used to get really angry. He had one rule—‘You must learn defense first. If you master defense, you’ll master everything else.’ He believed I already knew how to hit big shots, so he wanted me to learn how to defend. I used to keep an eye on him while batting. If he was watching, I’d play proper defense, playing drives and textbook shots. But the moment I saw him looking away, I would go back to playing my natural attacking game.”
