'Took injection, but couldn't hold the bat properly. Knew they would bowl faster': Pant picks 'turning point in career'

Speaking to fellow young India cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues, Pant revealed that how he battled an immensely painful elbow injury to save the match for India.

Young India cricketer Rishabh Pant, in just his four years of career, has seen it all. From being touted as the future MS Dhoni and being criticised for not living up to the expectation to roaring back to form and becoming one of India's mainstay options across formats along with being seen as the future leader of the team. But the turning point in his career, as claimed by him, did not happen far back. Speaking to fellow youngster Jemimah Rodrigues, Pant revealed that how he battled an immensely painful elbow injury to save the match for India.

Rishabh Pant

Pant, while speaking on Dream 11, recalled the massive blow he incurred on his elbow during the first inning of the Sydney Test against Australia in January 2021. He admitted that he could barely move his hand or could hold the bat even after taking a painkiller injection.

"I got my first chance in the second match where I scored 27-30 odd in both innings. Decent start for me because I was always under pressure after coming back from there, and we won the match. We made a comeback in the series.

Third match we went there. We were under pressure, they gave us some 400 something. Injury happened in the first innings. He bowled a bounce, it kept low and it hit my elbow and I was unable to move my hand in the first innings. I didn't keep in the second innings. Wriddhi bhai did all the keeping.

We went for a scan and it was bone bruise. It wasn't a major injury, but it was very painful. We were talking to the physios because I had to bat, by hook or by crook. So we decided to take injection to help with the pain. We have to see in the nets obviously, at first. So, I took the painkiller injection during the game, went to the nets and I was trying to hold the bat but it was paining. I couldn't hold my bat properly. After this there's Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood and they will be bowling a lot faster," said.

Pant revealed that he all he could do before the second innings was back himself constantly and to further ease the pain, he took a painkiller pill as well before batting.

“I was just telling myself, 'you have to do this, there is no choice.' Firstly, there was no intention of winning the match. First goal was to draw, because it was the last day and we needed 400 runs. Then there was an idea of making me bat at No.5 because I was injured and even if I got out then the batters to come could still look to remake. It was still paining and on top of that I took a painkiller pill too,” he added.

The 24-year-old then recalled how his famous knock of 97 and the crucial partnership he build with Cheteshwar Pujara before a valiant effort from Hanuma Vihari and R Ashwin helped India eke out a draw in Sydney. He revealed that during his knock the pain had started to lessen as his entire concentration was on every ball he faced which helped him get to 97. He hailed his knock as a turning point in his career.

"Rahane got out before lunch and I got tensed. I went inside, I couldn't get my way, pressure was building, Aussies were sledging and because they were up in the game and they wanted to win. Then it was my threshold, mid on was up and he bowled me there and I hit him over mid on for a boundary. Next ball he bowled there, after a few overs, and I hit him for a six. Next over the long on was back and I was playing my normal game and I was getting runs.

"Then there was good partnership that happened between me a Pujara and suddenly the momentum of the match changed and we were in a position to win the match. And slowly, my pain started lessening because I was concentrating entirely on every ball and so the focus on the pain went away.

'Then I scored 97. I was feeling bad, but not for missing out on my hundred because I felt that I could have won the match for India from there. Then Ashwin and Vihari, the way they saved the match. They were hit all over the body. Vihari had a hamstring injury and couldn't run and we couldn't go for the target. The aim was to save the match and we managed it because of the team effort. It was one of the turning point of the series for us and for myself also. Next match Gabba happened," he added.