Rishabh Pant reveals 'one of the best moments' of his career: 'Something I will cherish for the rest of my life'

Rishabh Pant said that while every moment he spends on the field is special, there is one memory that stands out for him.

Rishabh Pant will be KL Rahul's deputy in India's upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, thus marking his rise to becoming one of the mainstays of the team in all formats of the game. This, however, was not the case just over a year ago, when Pant was on the verge of losing his place in the team altogether due to a string of low scores.

Rishabh Pant. (IPL)

Pant had seemingly lost his place in the playing eleven in T20 cricket altogether due to his inconsistency throughout 2020 and 2021 was seen as a second choice wicketkeeper behind Wriddhiman Saha going into India's 2021/22 Test series in Australia. However, got an injury to Saha gave Pant a way into the squad and he ended up grabbing the opportunity with both hands.

The Indian team overall performed a heist on Australia, winning the series despite most of their regular stars getting injured as the series went on and them losing the first Test by 10 wickets after being all out for a record low score of 36. It all culminated in them becoming the first team to beat Australia in a Test match at the Gabba in over three decades.

“There are many moments that I cherish. One is every time I go on to the field, it's always a different feeling. But one of my best moments has to be the Gabba win. When we won that series at the Gabba, the last match, that is something I am going to cherish for the rest of my life,” said Pant on the SG Cricket podcast.

Pant became one of the protagonists of the historic win, winning the player of the match award. He hit nine fours and a six as he scored an unbeaten 89 off 138 balls. He had found a place in the Test team after Wriddhiman Saha was injured, having lost his place due to a string of low scores. Pant ended the series as India's highest run scorer, having scored 274 runs in five innings.

The series ended up giving Pant's international career a much needed impetus and he has since become a mainstay for India in all formats of the game. It also led to a resurgence for Pant in the IPL, in which he was soon made captain of the Delhi Capitals.

Pant also expressed relief that the team doesn't have to deal with bio-bubbles anymore. “It is one of the most satisfying things. Hopefully we don't go through any more of them. When you keep playing 365 days a here, you have to keep refreshing your mind. If you can't do that, you won't be giving your hundred percent. As cricketers we need to keep working on our minds and refreshing ourselves,” he said.