With team India’s ICC Champions Trophy selection slated to take place on Monday, one name that will give migraine to the selectors is Delhi Daredevils southpaw Rishabh Pant. He has been in ominous form and that has helped DD stay in the race for the playoffs, despite being a depleted unit. Pant’s statemate Subodh Bhati spoke about his friend in an interview.
Bhati said, “Pant was very young then. What happened there [Rajasthan] was unfortunate and I did not understand why it had to happen? Being termed ‘outsiders’ hurt. We were there to just play cricket”.
“Like I said before, his playing style never changed. He does not believe in shifting gears, in fact has only one gear, the top gear. His batting is like, every ball is there to be scored. If you are an aggressive batsman more often the coaches interfere in your style, but no one does that when Pant bats because he gets runs. I should not be saying this, but I have seen Pant enough to state that his batting is on par with several who play in the national side. Sometimes his batting gives more joy than theirs,” Bhati exclaimed.
In fact, Pant himself backs the above words. “If the ball is there to be hit, just hit it. Don’t think about the next ball, and if the next ball is there to be hit again, then hit it again,” Pant formulated his brand of cricket post his heroics.
Pant will be keeping his finger-crossed come Monday as a lot is at stake.
