Indian keeper-batter Rishabh Pant is currently sweating it out with the Indian cricket team in Australia ahead of much-awaited India vs Pakistan clash of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022. Rishabh Pant has struggled to get consistent game time in recent times, with Dinesh Karthik being considered India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in the shortest format of the game. As the Indian side is preparing for the high-voltage clash IND vs PAK, the youngster’s place in the starting XI is uncertain.
The last time the Indian side locked horns with Pakistan at an ICC event, Rishabh Pant turned out to be the second most effective Indian batter on the night after Virat Kohli. During the game, both Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli joined hands and forged a brilliant 53-run partnership, after the Indian side had lost both the openers early.
The Indian side was on the back foot but instead of adopting a cautious approach, Pant took the attack to the Pakistani bowlers and played a cameo of 39 runs. Though it’s been a year to the game but Rishabh still remembers the back-to-back sixes he smashed off the bowling of Hasan Ali, which gave the Indian innings the much-needed impetus. However, he couldn’t convert his start into a big knock and was dismissed at the wrong time. Pant and Kohli’s knocks went in vain as the Indian side suffered a historic 10-wicket defeat at the hands of Pakistan.
Recently, during an interaction with the T20 World Cup official website, Pant reflected upon the biggest benefit of batting alongside the batting maestro. Pant said that Kohli can teach youngsters like him how to deal with tough situations and emerge victorious. Pant was quoted as saying on the T20 World Cup website: “He (Kohli) can actually teach you how to go through situations, which might help you in your cricket journey going forward, so it is nice batting with him as always,”
He added: “It’s good to have someone with a lot of experience batting with you because he can take you through how to take the game on and how to maintain that run-a-ball pressure kind of thing,”