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Ravi Shastri 'didn't know what to say' to Rishabh Pant: 'Don't like it when someone tells me not to do a specific thing'

Sep 09, 2024 09:45 AM IST

Rishabh Pant credited former head coach Ravi Shastri for giving him freedom during his tenure, allowing him to express himself on the pitch freely.

Rishabh Pant is all set to make his Test comeback for the first time since his horrific car accident in 2022. The wicketkeeper batter has been picked in the squad for the first Test match against Bangladesh. Interestingly, he also played his last Test match against the same opponent in December 2022, days before the car accident which changed his life.

Rishabh Pant shares a great camaraderie with former India head coach Ravi Shastri.(AP)
Rishabh Pant shares a great camaraderie with former India head coach Ravi Shastri.(AP)

The swashbuckling batter has already made a sensational comeback in white-ball cricket and played a pivotal role in India's incredible 2024 T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados. Meanwhile, everyone is waiting for his Test comeback - a format where he was a force to reckon with before the forced break he had to take from cricket due to the accident.

In 33 Tests he has played so far, Pant has played several iconic knocks for India, including an unbeaten 89 against Australia to breach their fortress Gabba in 2021.

The left-handed wicketkeeper credited former head coach Ravi Shastri for giving him freedom during his tenure, allowing him to express himself on the pitch freely.

"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 while reacting to memes related to cricket.

He recalled a time when he struggled against off-spinners in general while playing attacking shots against them, and Shastri came out with a stunning advice to tackle them.

"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.

Pant makes a statement in Duleep Trophy

Pant displayed his ferocious batting in the Duleep Trophy match between India A and India B, where he brought up his fifty in just 34 balls.

The left-hander moved from 43 to 49 with an overhead six off Kuldeep Yadav, and a ball later, he brought up the mini milestone with a single. He was the standout batter for India B in second innings with a 61 off 47 balls laced with 9 fours and 2 sixes.

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