Rishabh Pant is one true-blue entertainer. The wicketkeeper-batter has the knack of making things happen out of nowhere. Apart from his aggressive batting style, Pant has also come to be known as quite a character behind the stumps. He’s always chirpy and knows how to keep his team’s morale in check. However, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara made an honest admission about Pant and his constant chirping from behind the stumps.
Pujara said that it always helps to have fun moments on the field when the bowlers are struggling for wickets; however, he was quick to add that there were times when he got irritated by the same and found it tough to concentrate.
The former India batter then narrated a story of how he once put his foot down, asking Pant to stay quiet and let him focus as he didn’t want to drop a catch in the slips off the bowling of Mohammed Shami or Jasprit Bumrah.
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“It is very entertaining. If you are in a phase of a game where things are not moving, there’s a big partnership going on, and whenever Rishabh Pant is around, you have that banter and fun moments. But I used to get irritated at some point. I’ll be very honest. When the ball was new, I was standing at first slip. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami are bowling,” Pujara said on the Sony Sports Network.
“There’s very little time if the ball has nicked and I have to catch it. And he will keep talking and asking me questions because he likes to be in that zone. And I want to focus, but he keeps irritating me. So I had to tell him, ‘Please allow me to focus.’ If you want to have a chat, you can with other players. But I don’t mind chatting between the balls. But he is a lovely character,” he added.
Pant scripts record
Pant was at his best on the fourth day of the first Test against Sri Lanka, playing a knock of 66 to help India set Sri Lanka a target of 372. He also became the first Asian to surpass the 100 sixes mark in Tests, and fourth overall.
Pujara was full of praise for Pant, saying the batter is a class apart in the longest format of the game.
“Although it might be 60-odd runs, I think it was an outstanding knock considering the situation. There was slight pressure on him. He is not performing in white-ball cricket. He isn’t part of India’s ODI and T20I squads. He is playing only the Test format at the moment,” the former India batter said.
“The thing I liked the most was that he batted sensibly. He has to play aggressively; that’s his natural game, but he also defends when required. He played shots when the fast bowlers came. He was using the sweep and reverse sweep against the off-spinner. Those are excellent shots,” he added.