Rishabh Pant was told to lose weight, respect game, work hard on keeping: Ravi Shastri

RishabhPant’s future in the Indian team looked pretty uncertain last year. He had an underwhelming IPL 2020 season following which he was left out of India’s limited-overs squad for the tour of Australia.

He was named in the Test squad, though, but he was still left out of the playing XI in the first Test.

However, after India’s forgettable collapse for 36 runs in the day-night Test in Adelaide, Pant got his place back in the XI. He played a couple of breezy knocks in the second Test but his keeping still came under scrutiny.

But things started changing for him since the third Test in Sydney. Pant almost won the game for India with his attacking knock of 97 in the fourth innings. The match still ended in a draw but he made sure he took India over the finishing line in the fourth Test as he smashed an unbeaten 89 in the fourth innings at the Gabba to take India to a memorable series win.

Since then he has played three more brilliant knocks of 91, 58* and 101 in the recently concluded series against England. Indian head coach Ravi Shastri pointed out it is due to Pant’s hard work that he has been able to achieve such success over the last couple of months.

“Pant has been simply magnificent. We were hard on him. Nothing comes easy. He was told in no uncertain terms that he has got to respect the game a little more. He’s got to lose a bit of weight and work hard on his keeping. We know the talent he has and he has responded,” Shastri said.

“He has worked like hell for the last few months and the results are here to see. Yesterday’s innings was the best counter-attacking innings I have seen in India. It was a two-phase innings. He built a partnership with Rohit playing against his nature – to do that is not easy – and to turn it on after 50. Keeping has been magnificent and Washi was outstanding too,” he added.

India will take on England in the five-match T20I series next, starting on March 12 in Ahmedabad, and Pant has been included in the white-ball squad this time.