Young Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant has become one of the most loved cricketers, especially after his heroics against Australia Tests that helped team India to storm Australia’s Gabba fortress in a record-breaking fashion. Team India won the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy by exhilarating a three-wicket win over Australia in the fourth and the final Test match to claim the series 2-1.
However, things weren’t that easy for him before his heroics in the Test series against Australia. From being criticized for his poor gloves work to struggling with weight issues, every now and then, Rishabh Pant was struggling with a lot of things and had become the butt of jokes on social media. But the cricketer worked hard and bounced back.
Recently, in an interview with Boria Majumdar on Sports Today, Pant opened about his struggles and added how he ignored everything on social media and focused on his game to bloom in the upcoming games. He said:
“I was feeling the heat each and every day, it’s part and parcel of the game. But as an individual, you need to believe in yourself. I was lucky that I had a few people around me who told me to keep believing in myself and just keep working hard,”
The hard-work of Rishabh Pant paid off well as he emerged out to be the third-highest run-getter from the Test series by scoring 274 runs from three matches. His brilliant performance against Australia also included a valiant knock of 97 runs in Sydney and an impressive knock of 89 runs, that helped team India win the series.
“If you’re moving forward then you’re improving, this is what I’ve learnt during the tough phase. Focus so much on your game that you don’t notice anything else. It’s difficult also to block the outside noise because of social media, but I have segregated myself from it,”