The latest sensation in Indian cricket is Rishabh Pant, from being an IPL maverick to now a Test players, young Pant has seen it all in the last six to seven months. He was part of the ICC Test team of the year and was awarded the emerging player of the year in 2018.
His batting is exciting, his keeping is funky, at times suspect, but never short of entertainment and the young man says, he has never stopped learning at any time in his career so far.
"Just that the ball moves a lot more in England. But that's okay, there's always a first time. But I can say that as a wicketkeeper when I played India A matches and then against the Lions, I had a fair idea of what to expect. Also, these matches were played with the Dukes ball," Pant told ESPNCricinfo.
He concedes that this is the age when he has to keep analysing and keep improving at all times, for this is when he makes substantial strides in his game.
'I have to keep learning and analysing'
"As a wicketkeeper, and as a youngster, if I don't learn, it will be very difficult. Always important to keep learning from your mistakes. I was analysing which balls I could have stopped, which I couldn't have," he added.
He started his career with a six, and in many ways, it was an emphatic announcement to the world that a young man had arrived. However, he got out in rather flamboyant fashion in the following games which started the whispers that he was being reckless in situations which demanded more restraint.
However, he believes that he knows how to play according to the situation and that he knows how to read the game and then react since he has played cricket all his life.
"Everything. Right from childhood. It feels like all my life I have played only cricket. By now, at least this much I know: how to play in that situation. Sometimes you have to curb your instincts, that is also important. At the end of the day, you have to score runs. Can't play just to survive," Pant said.
Pant's banter from the behind the stumps in Australia garnered a lot of attention and now says that the aim of his side was to win the game, come what may.
"Yeah, I was aware, but there is no way I could land in trouble. I never abused anybody. It was normal, hard, competitive Test cricket. You keep saying those things because you want to play with the batsman's concentration. It was good banter. Personally, I never felt that I crossed any line," he said.
