Follow UsRishabh Pant has become a crucial member for India in all three formats and the wicketkeeper-batter said he doesn’t focus on what other people say about him and instead tries to focus on things he can control.
“I am not worried about people passing comments on me now. But it does get to you sometimes. You have to look in the mirror and check if you had done your process right - like diet, training, recovery,” he told the Times of India.
“There are so many distractions at the international level, it's difficult to do that. I think about my cricket and the game a lot because that's what I have always loved to do. You need to filter things and see what you can do to improve as a human being.
“It doesn't matter if I am comfortable or not. Criticism is going to happen anyway. I try to focus on the controllables.”
Talking about his captaincy style, Pant said: "There has to be a balance. It doesn't mean I have to be serious all the time just because I have become a captain. But you also have to have serious conversations. There's a difference between changing and improving. For example, fitness is important but you can't only be thinking about fitness.
"My priority is to win the IPL. I can't change a person in two months. You can provide him an environment to improve but can't turn someone into a superhero in two months. You can't force things on people. But you need to get a person on the same frequency as yours. I am just trying to trust the process which we have created here at Capitals in a few years."
The 24-year-old has become quite a crowd puller and is set to lead Delhi Capitals in the forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The left-handed dasher has been with the franchise for six years and Pant said his first goal was to become the best player in the team. He was then appointed as Delhi’s captain last season.
"When I first came to the Capitals, I got a lot of confidence after meeting the owners, support staff. In the last three-four years, we have changed a lot as a team. I wanted to become the best player of the franchise first. I started learning from everyone around me.
"When I came to the IPL setup, we had gun fast bowlers like Pat Cummins, Shami, Rabada and Coulter-Nile. I told myself if I can play these prime international bowlers, I will get confidence. All these things have helped me reach the place where I am today. I added all the learning to my game but I never wanted to change my style of play.
"It's an honour for me. If people are expecting things from me, that means I am doing something good in life. It's a challenge to not focus on the expectations. When you become a captain then it's not about yourself. You have to see how new people are gelling with the team, if they are comfortable. You have to learn from different people and share your knowledge with everyone."
In his early days, Pant was criticised for his wicket-keeping skills but the 24-year-old has also improved a lot behind the stumps. "It's more about confidence and doing the same thing again and again.
"When you come to international cricket, people form their own opinions. People had already decided in their minds that 'yaar, yeh keeping aise hi karta hai (he keeps only this way). ' Every 'keeper will drop chances once or twice. If you can soak that pressure in, you can rise to a different level. It shows in my performance now. You can't have results overnight and it's difficult to change opinions in a month. It took me around two years to change that opinion about me."
Pant is now also part of the leadership group in the Indian team and he wants to give 200 percent in everything he does. "Sometimes it does. They made me the vice-captain for a couple of matches. But giving my 200 percent as a player is the only thing under my control.
"As a part of the leadership group, I had to give my 200 percent every day and help people around me. It could be backing a bowler, helping Rohit bhai set a fielder in a particular position. You don't need a designation to help your mates."