Rishabh Pant carried his own chef during IPL: Ravi Shastri lauds India star’s comeback
Former India cricketer and coach Ravi Shahstri heaped praise on Rishabh Pant’s brilliant comeback into run-scoring form in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup campaign.
While revealing how the 26-year-old diligently prepared for the tournament. Pant’s form has been one of the biggest talking points in the cricket fraternity, ever since he made his comeback to cricketing action in IPL 2024, 14 months after a horrific car accident. Having already impressed with his IPL 2024 form, Pant has also been one of the most positive signs for this Rohit Sharma-led India side across all their matches so far in the T20 World Cup so far.
Pant received his comeback India call-up for the T20 World Cup on top of scoring a massive 443 runs in his 13 matches in IPL 2024 as the DC skipper. The wicketkeeper-batter even extended his brilliant form with the bat with his unbeaten 36 off 26 balls knock against Ireland in India’s tournament opener, followed by a crucial 42 off 31 knock against their arch-rivals Pakistan on a tricky New York pitch. With India having already secured qualification to the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup, Pant is already hailed by fans and former greats of the game as the side’s X-factor for the rest of the tournament.
Speaking to Star Sports ahead of India’s final group-stage game against Canada on June 15, Ravi Shastri revealed how he DC coach Ricky Ponting revealed how dedicated Pant was in order to make a strong comeback to form.
“I think he (Rishabh) has been most impressive, batting everybody new. But his keeping range of movement has been fabulous. As he said, ‘Not often do you get two opportunities. God doesn’t give you two opportunities to live’. It’s literally God telling him, You’re too young to come upstairs. Why don’t you stay downstairs, play your cricket, and we’ll see you later, and he’s given him that opportunity. He’s realised that, and he’s worked his backside off,” Shastri said.
For me, the first impression when I saw Rishabh was all trimmed up. Ricky (Ponting) mentioned he was with DC and that he was carrying his own chef. So it is that awareness that he has come to play at the highest level and come back and do the things he was doing, or even better. He’s got to work really, really hard. So realisation has sunk in, and it’s made all the difference and is fabulous. You can see what X factor he brings in with the bat, I thought his keeping has been that that’s something that surprised everyone. Especially the footwork, the way he’s moving behind the stump… Not easy. 18 months before, when you saw him in hospital, you know, you would never have imagined he would come back and play,” Shastri added.
Pant has been the clear choice as India’s wicketkeeper over Sanju Samson so far, and by the form that the 26-year-old has boasted so far for the side in the T20 World Cup, the setup might not really face a change for the rest of the tounament.