The Rise, Fall, And The Comeback Of Rishabh Pant

The electrifying wicketkeeper-batsman has had an action-packed induction into international cricket — enviable highs followed by painful lows, and a dream comeback. And he is still just 23

- Alshaar Khan

The image of Rishabh Pant falling away towards the leg-side, after having reverse swept the great James Anderson during the last Ahmedabad Test against England, will long remain etched as one of the most audacious moments in cricket from this era. On that day, Pant scored his first home Test century (he had already scored a century each in England and Australia), putting Team India on course to reach the inaugural World Test Championship final. This tweet from a fan: ‘Pant is either your favourite cricketer to watch right now or you are wrong’ embodies the southpaw’s heroic on-field resurgence since the turn of last year.

“Bhaiya, mujhe achha laga tha ki maine India ko match jita diya, bas,” Pant nonchalantly recalls the innings, on a Zoom call with me, and adds, “As an individual, I try to keep myself grounded, because that is now a thing of the past. I focus on living in the present.” At the time of our conversation, he had safely returned to his family in Delhi following the suspension of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL).

Very humbly, after stumps on that day too, Pant had attributed pulling off the avant-garde stroke, in part, to luck. Pant’s brand of cricket represents Gen Z’s general attitude towards success — against the traditional ideas of stability and personal accomplishment, this generation sometimes defines success in much easier ways, like maybe just coming home to your dog. All of 23, Pant’s thought process is equally uncomplicated.