India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was greeted as the hero of India’s momentous victory in the fourth Test against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane.
The left-handed batsman had scored an unbeaten 89 to guide his side to a 3-wicket win at a venue where Australia had not lost a game since𝓰 1988. Pant’s magical knock also helped the side win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1.
Before the epic Australian tour, Pant was under a lot of scrutinies for his wicketkeeping and batting. In July 2020, the Delhi-lad spent a quality time with former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina, who helped the youngster not to pay attention to♊ outer noises.
While speaking to Cricbuzz, Raina revealed what Pant had told him during the training sessions in Ghazi🐷abad and 🌳Delhi last year. The 34-year-old recalled Pant telling him that he wants to be the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the world.
“Bhaiya, I want to be the best wicketkeeper batsman in the world,” the 23-year-old had told Raina.
Raina further added that he did not have to do much concerning Pant’s growth as he is a special talent in order to become a great player.
“I really didn’t have much to do with it. He is a young cricketer bursting with talent who in my view is set to become a great player for India. Back in June he’d just come off a not so good time with the bat.”
“There was a lot of talk about him. So, he just wanted a break from it all, from the media and from everything. All he wanted me to do was listen. He wasn’t looking for me to give anything, forget a solution,” said Raina.
Pant was given opportunities in all formats, but he failed to seize them and lost his place in the limited-overs side due to KL Rahul’s emergence. While in the longest format, Wriddhiman Saha became the first-choice keeper for Team India.
However, the Australia tour has turned the tables and witnessed Pant’s timely return, where he ended as India’s leading run-getter with 274 runs, including two half-centuries.
