Rishabh Pant: ‘You have to be mad about something you love, and what I love is cricket. Then, it’s easy to give 200%’ | Cricket News
We knew it would need a bit of convincing for Rishabh Pant, the new Lucknow Super Giants captain, to talk cricket at length with TOI in the midst of a busy IPL season. Pant never loses the twinkle in his eyes on the field but off it, he can be shy and reticent in public. He rarely gives interviews, for one.
When he warms up to the company, though, it is fascinating to hear his deep insight on the modern game. Make no mistake, Pant is wiser than his years and wears his many responsibilities — one of them being the most expensive IPL player, ever — with poise.
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Helping him keep his finger on the cricketing pulse during our conversation was experienced LSG mentor Zaheer Khan, one of India’s greatest bowlers. As they held court, TOI got a glimpse into Zaheer’s methods of shaping a new-look vision for LSG, and a rare peek into the mind of the extraordinarily talented Pant.
Excerpts from a memorable chat in Kolkata:
Rishabh, when you keep wickets, you’re known to be very chatty near the stump mic!
I’m a very instinctive guy. Whatever happens on the field is spontaneous. Nothing is planned! I always worry that something wrong will come out of my mouth!
So, you’ll stop singing things like ‘Spiderman, Spiderman’?
It came out of me spontaneously. I say things as the game moves. It’s all organic! I try to simplify things for my teammates.
Talking about spontaneity, as captain we’ve seen there’ve been times when you’re about to react in a certain way, only to hold back because of the stump mic…
See, I do give away my reaction (that way). There’s a lot of emotion in our sport. I guess we’re allowed to react to a certain level. It’s a learning process. If the people involved are cool (about it), things should be fine.
Zaheer, when you have a character like Rishabh in your team who’s so free-spirited, do you have to rein him in at times?
There’s a reason he’s here — at LSG, we wanted to have a very fearless approach. We wanted all our players to show that intent. We wanted the team culture to be very open. So, there’s no question of pulling him back.
How much of a change have you seen in Rishabh since his Delhi Daredevils days in 2016?
He used to be, and still is, a fun guy, and his basic nature has been his strength. That hasn’t changed. It’s just that the way he thinks and approaches the game is better now. Looking at him from the time I was with Delhi, he’s maintained that purity and yet matured as a player. He’s achieved that balance yet stayed true to himself. He’s added things to his game, evolved as a human being, become a better person. Understood game situations and team dynamics better.
How difficult was it for things to come together after the mega IPL auction, when you’ve to start anew, in a way?
Zaheer: The players need to have that sense of belonging. That comes from the top, that’s why you need a vision which gets executed through the leader. Rishabh has all those qualities. We’re excited that in such a short time, things have gone according to plan.
Poll
Has Rishabh Pant’s accident changed your perception of him as a player?
At the start of the season, Lucknow Super Giants got to know that their entire frontline pace attack was virtually out of action. What did you do next?
Pant: It was definitely a setback. Then we sat down and decided, let’s not dwell on it too much. We discussed how to go around the problem — either we start cribbing about things we can’t control, or we look at the positive side, that everything from here can only go upwards. We’re not a management that does nakhras (tantrums) by cribbing about small things. Instead, we thought, what we can add there that can change the fortune of the team?
Zaheer, you must have then put in a lot of hard work with the bowlers who were available…
When we picked the squad for IPL, there were 24 players (each team could have a maximum of 25). Each individual was picked on the basis that if he has to play a role, he’s capable of it. That trust has to come from our belief that we picked the right people to make an impact. Now, it’s time for us to have that faith, show that trust and then empower them to go out there and do it for the team.
You spoke about a ‘sense of belonging’. How difficult is it to get everyone thinking the same way, especially in a new unit?
Pant: It’s the hardest part. If we have one goal as a team and everyone is working towards that, it’s easier because everyone is then fighting for the same cause. How you achieve that is a very personal thing. Everyone will find his own way, own method.
Zaheer: It’s about playing the game on the field! When you do that, you’re finding a way of winning the game. Every individual has got his own process but there is a process which is followed by the team as well — of creating a scenario where individuals are empowered to make decisions in game time. It’s never easy. With LSG, people are noticing those things. We know we’re in the right direction. If you ask me if the whole work is done, it’s definitely a process which is going to take its course as we move along in the season.
Is there a pre-match message you give to the team?
Zaheer: Again, play the game! This team is all about playing the game. It comes from the leader. When you’re talking about being fearless, you know you’re exposed to making errors as well. There are no perfect games. We’re just giving our players that freedom to go out there and be themselves.
How often do you communicate with Rishabh outside of IPL, especially since he is busy playing intense international cricket?
You know the relationship I have with Rishabh. It’s basically just conversations. We talk about everything, from global issues to cricketing issues. I don’t think we set a particular time that, okay, now let’s talk serious stuff.
Rishabh, are there two personas inside of you, pre-accident and post-accident? Did the incident change a bit of your personality? Mark a line in the sand, in a way? Do you look at things that way?
Definitely, I do break it down a little bit, but only to an extent. I try to find that balance. Whatever I’ve learned from recovering from the accident, I want to add in life. But, I also made a conscious decision that I wouldn’t fully change myself — I want to add to my life but not take away what I already have. Life is simpler now.
You tend to get into that cycle where you want to push all the time, mentally, and you’re not finding that real balance. They say, thoda paagalpan bhi zaroori hain life mein (you need a bit of edginess, craziness in your life), and I believe in that. You have to be mad about something you love, and what I love is cricket. Then, it’s easy to just give your 200%.
Have you driven a car since that accident?
Yes, sir! I’ve started driving a car. Not very regularly, though. Immediately after the accident, I wasn’t comfortable even sitting in a car. It took me a year. I started driving only 14-15 months after the incident.
What was the feeling when you drove for the first time after the accident?
I started driving again to overcome the fear. I don’t want to be fearful of something which was part of my daily life. I didn’t want that fear to take root inside me. I just want a normal life.
Rishabh, it’s been a very hectic international season, and now you have the IPL. When do players actually switch off?
It’s day-to-day life now. IPL is part of our lives. International cricket is part of our lives. Most of the time we are playing cricket throughout the year. This has been an ongoing process for years now.
It took time for me to adjust earlier. It’s been 9-10 years since I started playing IPL. I’m able to switch on and switch off whenever it’s required.
There’s so much info now. How much data-based homework do you do and how much do you go with instinct?
Pant: It’s a balance. There’s a lot of data out there but data can’t be the sum of the whole picture. Zak-bhai also thinks that way. Data can’t just define each and everything. There might be a situation when you need six of one ball, and a guy hits a six and wins you the game. Then you can’t go and make that guy sit out the next match. It doesn’t matter how he played throughout the match, he hit that match-winning six. You do need to have data, and then you have to make these decisions.
We talk about always playing ‘percentage’ cricket. That means if you have the data and then you let instinct take over, it’ll be more helpful for you in the long run.
You said you play ‘percentage’ cricket but there’s also this thing of playing ‘fearless’ cricket. Are the two in conflict?
Zaheer: They’re not. That’s like asking for a secret sauce. It’s not contradictory, even though it may sound like it. Keeping percentage in your favour, you got to define percentage as well. There are teams that have decided they’re going to be approaching cricket in (only) one fashion, completely. But that one fashion also gets decoded that much quicker.
When we talk about playing the percentages and at the same time to be fearless, there are two ways of approaching that. If I get into the detail, I’ll be giving away too much. But there is a method to what we are talking about.
Rishabh, we’ve heard great Test batters talk a lot about being ‘in the zone’. Do you believe in that? What is this ‘zone’ for you?
‘Zone’ is a place where you are just reacting to the ball. You’re not thinking too much, about how I’m going to play a certain shot to a certain ball. Bowlers will surely have their own zones. As a batsman, I can tell you that all batsmen have their zone. When in the zone, most of the time you understand what the bowler wants to do, the kind of field setting he has.
You’re letting your instinct take over and empowering it. That gives you the best result. The surroundings don’t matter. Even in a ground filled with spectators, you feel it’s just you and the bowler.
Most of the time, you can’t even say, ‘Oh, I’m in the zone!’ It comes when you are inside the game. And it takes care of your game on that given day.
In this IPL season, we’ve seen batters still hitting the long sixes but bowlers are fighting back as well. One big rule change has been allowing saliva. Has applying it on the ball helped?
Zaheer: Definitely, saliva has helped. These things are very match-by-match, condition-based kind of factors. If it’s a day game, the pitch is on the drier side and the outfield also supports that little bit. At Eden Gardens, the ball goes over the practice pitches and that adds one more way to the ball getting old quickly. Saliva obviously is going to play a part in maintaining the ball.
Your Lucknow Super Giants teammate Nicholas Pooran was also in a car accident. He too had a tough recovery period…
After my accident, he used to call me. We used to have long chats and that was definitely very helpful. Not just as a cricketer, but as a friend. We’ve been in touch a long time. He’s also gone through a lot in his life. He’s also a similar kind of player. He understands most of my perspective of life because he too went through something brutal. Sometimes people say they understand, but unless you go through it yourself, you never do. He does.
Aren’t players finding the use of saliva unhygienic or gross post-pandemic?
I’ve not heard of anyone! As a bowler, I’m happy saliva is back. There will be some swing for the bowlers too.
Rishabh, you have a very old bat at home which you still hold dear, the one that your father gifted you…
It’s at home. It was an SG Sunny Tonny. That was the first time my dad bought an expensive bat for me. It was a dream for a kid to have an English willow. I didn’t get it easily since I come from a small town, Roorkee. That bat has a lot of memories, because at that time it cost around Rs 5000. It was very costly.
For a middle-class family, it wasn’t easy to afford that kind of bat. God has been kind. Now I am sponsored by SG!
Zaheer, we’ve seen batsmen carry that attacking mindset from T20s to Tests as well. How do bowlers look at that evolving scenario?
It’s cause and effect. The way you’re seeing Test matches producing results more often than not these days is an indication that batters are looking to play more shots.
Obviously, when batters are dominating, as a bowler you have to go on the defensive or you’ve to think differently, which is what I mean by ‘effect’. So, things have changed that way. The brighter side is that you’re seeing more results in Tests, and that’s why a lot of people are getting interested in Test cricket.
Rishabh, you’re a successful all-format batter but is it possible to use the same batting template in all three formats?
We’re in an era where you can’t say something is impossible. This is what life has taught me. So, if it has to happen, it will happen.
It’s a give and take. If you want to be aggressive, you can’t be very consistent. You’ve to find a way to bring them together. It’s a very personal call and at the same time, a very cricketing call.
As an individual if you want to bring something (new) to your game, then something will be taken away. If you want to be more consistent, you can’t be over-aggressive. How you find that balance will define how consistent you can be.
It’s difficult to switch sometimes between formats, but it depends on the conditions. If we’re playing all three formats in India only, it’ll be easier to switch. But if you are playing one series in India, another one in Australia and then in the West Indies, it’s going to be harder to switch.
Rishabh, how do you react to criticism, especially the over-the-top type from experts?
The sport is growing, so criticism too is growing rapidly. Everyone is trying to read the game. I don’t read too much into it.
If you’re going to focus on that, it’s going to be very hard for you to retain your mindset. You’ve to back yourself each and every time.
You need to have people around you with whom you can discuss cricket and who you can trust for the best advice. You need to have enough facts.
And then you need to make a decision on the field, back your instinct and keep it simple, regardless of the criticism.
Zak says…
How important is it to ensure that your captain is not overthinking about team strategy?
We all are one. We win and lose together. What matters is everyone needs to take responsibility for his own role and action.
You have an inexperienced, all-Indian bowling attack. What do you want to pass on to these boys, if you look back at your own evolution as a fast bowler?
What’s important is how we can make an impact on the game. Play the game as it is unfolding. For that, you back your instincts. We can only pass on the knowledge. When it comes to executing, Rishabh’s role becomes very important. We have been trying out a few things. That’s where you have a bowling attack which is open to analysing the game differently. That’s why you see the conversations with Rishabh and the bowlers and having the different kinds of field settings.
LSG roped in Rishabh because he was unique — he has had an impact across formats, especially in Tests, and shown leadership traits. All-format players are a rare find these days. What separates them from the rest?
First, you should have the ability to play all formats. It’s the drive, determination and passion. You should be wanting to be out there and make an impact. It’s not an easy process.
It’s a challenge managing yourself through the year in different conditions and maintaining form, to be able to keep pushing yourself and raising the bar. All these factors are constant with players who are playing all formats. If someone is striving for that, he needs to be applauded.
As things are unfolding with franchise cricket, it (the desire to play across formats) has to be driven by the top players. In Indian cricket, we are fortunate to have that. Virat started that. Then we have Bumrah, Rohit, Rishabh. If you go back in the past, importance has been given to representing the country and playing all formats. The big guns are setting the example.
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