Rishabh Pant: The captain fantastic
new delhi: Rishabh Pant has proved himself as a captain if not as a batter. What the southpaw has done for Lucknow Super Giants in his first season as captain is being hailed loudly by the experts and commentators. For those who know the go-lucky wicketkeeper batter, when Pant was leading Delhi Capitals, the results were not top class. Yes, the 2024 IPL season was defining as Pant was staging a comeback from the major car accident of December 2022 near Dehradun. How he survived that high-speed car crash and bounced back is divine. For someone who has loved challenges all his life, fighting his way into the IPL a year back and also the Indian team was beautiful. Just to remind readers, he played his role well when India won the ICC T20 World Cup last year in the West Indies.
Rewind to this January, Pant scored runs after taking body blows in the final Test in Sydney during the BGT Series. It was a great sight. Yet, when he was not preferred as wicketkeeper for India in the Champions Trophy by coach Gautam Gambhir, Pant did not crib. He was ready to be a team man to the core, even as KL Rahul proved himself. The big challenge for Pant has been the move to Lucknow in the latest edition of the IPL.
For those detractors who say Pant is not scoring runs, he has upstaged a few more seasoned captains in the IPL with the way he is leading. For sure, the TV commentators are going bonkers over how he sets the field and the kind of bowling changes he is making. On Tuesday, when LSG pulled off an incredible win against Kolkata Knight Riders, Pant again came in for praise. When Digvesh Singh Rathi was bowling, the stump chatter was loud and clear. Pant could be heard loud and clear telling the bowler: “You bowl, I will set the field.” What it tells you is how Pant gets involved closely and knows how to back his bowlers. This is not the first time Pant is doing this. Even in previous matches, he has ensured his pack of bowlers are fired up. There have been instances when a bowler has gone for runs and Pant has backed them. Surely, having been a close buddy and student of the MS Dhoni school, Pant is headed in the right direction.
The LSG captain has at his disposal Akash Deep, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Rathi and Ravi Bishnoi as bowlers. In earlier matches and today, LSG have also faced fitness issues with Mayank Yadav still not cleared to bowl. Pant is not letting all this affect him and the side.
