Rishabh Pant: The Career, Stats and Comeback from the Car Accident

One of the most exciting youngsters with a sky high ceiling in Indian Cricket in the past 5-6 years has been the Delhi boy, Rishabh Pant. Known for his fearless attitude on the pitch with the bat and talkative mouth behind the stumps to get into the minds of the batsmen, Pant was seen as the next big thing for the Indian Cricket Team in the wicket keeping department after Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He had already started proving himself on the grandest stage of the sport, but after a major setback, where most people would lose confidence and bow down to the conditions, Rishabh is back and roaring, enjoying the sport he’s loved again. In this article by ZAP, let’s learn more about Rishabh Pant, his early life and domestic cricket career, his international career with ICT, the major accident that set him back a couple of years, and how he’s bouncing back.

Rishabh Pant: Early Life and Domestic Cricket Career

Rishabh Pant was born on 4th October 1997 and his age is currently 26 years old. Pant started his cricket journey at 12, training at the prestigious Sonnet Cricket Academy in Delhi. With a lot of hardship faced at a very young age, Pant continued to improve in his craft and started getting the results he worked hard for. 

His breakthrough came in U-19 cricket, scoring crucial runs for Delhi against Assam. He was also selected for the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and he made headlines with the fastest fifty in just 18 balls against the Nepal Cricket Team. 

Pant made his debut in first-class cricket in 2015 and in List A cricket shortly after. He exploded with his bat in the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy, scoring a triple century against Maharashtra and the fastest century in Ranji history in just 48 balls against Jharkhand. Not just his batting, but his leadership skills were also put to the test when he was made Delhi's captain for the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Pant continued his blistering form, notching the second-fastest century in a 2017–18 Zonal T20 League match in 2018, scoring a 100 off just 32 balls.

Rishabh Pant: International Cricket Career

Rishabh Pant made his debut for the Indian Cricket Team in a T20I against England in 2017, becoming the youngest player at that time to debut for India in the shortest format of the game. He later debuted in Test cricket against England in 2018, and what’s impressive about his debut test was that he hit a six off of the very first ball he faced in the red leather ball format. He also went on to score his maiden century in the same series. Pant continued to shine, becoming the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in Australia, and by now, he was cementing himself as the next full time keeper after Dhoni. In 2019, Pant was named as a replacement for Shikhar Dhawan in the 2019 ICC ODI Cricket World Cup squad over Ambati Rayudu, earning a reputation as a rising star. 

However, Pant faced a slump in form in 2019-2020, especially in the IPL, leading to criticism and comparisons with MS Dhoni. Despite setbacks, Pant made a triumphant return to form in the Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21, where his heroics with the bat helped India beat Australia in the final test match at the Gabba in Brisbane, a feat that no team had achieved in a very long time, resulting in a 2-1 win for India in the 4 match test series.

In 2022, Pant was appointed vice-captain for India's series against South Africa but ended up captaining the team due to an injury to KL Rahul, and with this, he became second-youngest captain to lead India in a T20I match. 

Rishabh Pant – The Delhi Capitals IPL Team Captain:

Rishabh Pant has only been with one IPL team in his entire career, and that team is the Delhi Capitals IPL team. Rishabh burst onto the cricket scene after his impressive U19 World Cup Campaign for India in 2015-16. He was quickly bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs. 1.9 crores and still remains at the franchise, now as its captain. He started as a young left handed batter with a flamboyant and aggressive style and is now a mature batsman who’ll continue to lead the side in the future. 

In only his second season in the IPL in 2017, he played an impressive 97 run innings against Suresh Raina’s Gujarat Lions, and the next year he registered his maiden century in the IPL, smashing the Sunrisers Hyderabad for 128 runs. 

Delhi Capitals retained Rishabh Pant for an IPL price of Rs. 16 crore for the 2022 IPL season, making him the highest paid player in the DC squad. He was coming off heroic hype but had an underwhelming season. Pant only scored 340 runs in 14 matches, averaging a mere 30.91 in IPL 2022, his worst since his debut season.

In total, Rishabh Pant has scored 2991 IPL runs for the Delhi Capitals, the most runs for the franchise. Rishabh missed the 2022 season after a freak car accident, but now he has made a stunning comeback for the 2024 IPL season as the captain. 

Rishabh Pant’s Batting Style and what makes him so good?

The essence of Rishabh Pant's batting style is aggressiveness and fearlessness. He has even said that his only motive while batting is to hit big sixes, no matter the format or who the bowler is. And he does this extremely well and is known for his ability to play big shots and take on bowlers from the start. What makes him so good is his natural talent combined with his fearless approach. He's not afraid to take risks and can turn a match around with his explosive batting. We’ve seen this multiple times with both, the Indian Cricket Team and the Delhi Capitals IPL Team. Pant's ability to play unorthodox cricket shots and his adaptability to different situations make him super important for any team. 

Rishabh Pant – Overall Stats and Records

Rishabh Pant, though usually labelled as a one dimensional batter, has shown remarkable versatility across all formats of the game. In Tests, he has scored 2271 runs at an average of 43.67, including five centuries and eleven half-centuries. His aggressive style is evident, with a strike rate of 73.63. In the ODI format, he has contributed 865 runs, maintaining a batting average of 34.60 and a notable strike rate of 106.65. Pant's highest score in ODIs is an unbeaten 125. In T20Is, he has scored 987 runs at a strike rate of 126.37, with three half-centuries to his name. While he has yet to score a century in this format, his ability to accelerate the innings makes him a potent force as a middle order batsman. Across all formats, Pant's attacking approach, combined with his ability to score quickly, positions him as a key player for the Indian cricket team, especially in the middle order. His adeptness behind the stumps is also highlighted by his total of 172 catches and 24 stumpings across formats so far in his career. 

Rishabh Pant has scored 4123 total runs and 6 centuries throughout his career across all formats of the game. 

Rishabh Pant – The Car Accident, the Injuries Suffered, the Setbacks and now the Comeback!

On December 30, 2022, Rishabh Pant was involved in a serious car accident on the Delhi-Dehradun highway near Roorkee. Rishabh sustained multiple injuries to his head, back, feet, and knee. Pant was driving his Mercedes SUV alone when it collided with a central divider, causing the car to catch fire. Fortunately, he was rescued by bystanders who rushed him to the hospital. The injuries forced Rishabh to take a break from any physical activity and, thus, cricket for more than a year, and this meant he had to miss the IPL 2023. Despite setbacks, Rishabh Pant’s health condition has improved greatly, and he’s now back to normal. The injuries he suffered have been treated, and he has recovered well. BCCI’s National Cricket Academy recently classified Pant as completely fit and he’s playing in the IPL 2024 at his best. 

Also Read: Cricket Injuries

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