'It Was An Amazing Relationship': Rishabh Pant Opens Up About His Unique Bond With Ravi Shastri
Star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been recalled into India's Test squad that travels to play Bangladesh. The selectors have once again trusted Pant as he made an astonishing comeback and played a key role in India's triumph at the T20 World Cup 2024.
Rishabh Pant's Comeback
Rishabh Pant's comeback is certainly the one to remember, he has proved to be an inspiration for many. A near-fatal car accident in 2022, which had ruled him out for almost a year, barely deterred him. He came back with a blast to IPL 2024 and sealed his spot in the national team once again. India now proceeds to a choc-a-block Test calendar building up to the World Test Championship final next year, with Pant expected to play a pivotal role.
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His match-winning performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia only underlined his importance, with India getting ready for the much-hyped five-match Test series against Australia in November.
Mutual Understanding Between Rishabh Pant And Ravi Shastri
The ebullient keeper-batsman reflected on his journey recently and credited former India head coach Ravi Shastri for his influence on him, thanking him for giving him the license to always play his game and guiding him in his career.
"It was an amazing relationship. I had a great understanding with Ravi Shastri as he gave me the freedom I wanted. I don't like it when someone tells me not to do a specific thing; instead, I prefer someone giving me a better option. I would rather switch to a better option than avoid anything," Pant said on Tanmay Bhat's YouTube channel.
"There was a time when I was getting out to off-spinners while playing shots against them. Ravi bhai was thinking about what he should tell me, then he came to me and told me that we have to find a way to tackle off-spinner. He told me that he had found a way and said, "You should play reverse-sweep against an off-spinner and this was about Test cricket," he added.
India Vs Bangladesh, 1st Test
Rishabh Pant marked his return in red-ball cricket as he was named in the India squad for Test series against Bangladesh.
India's squad for 1st Test vs Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.
