Follow UsRishabh Pant is India’s vice-captain under the leadership of Shubman Gill, who is junior to him in the Test team and otherwise. However, even after being in a comparatively less influential role officially, despite being senior to him, critics thought that Pant might not be as receptive, having harboured the national team’s captaincy ambitions himself.
However, the 27-year-old set aside all doubts and embraced the captaincy of Gill ahead of the first Test of the five-match series against England. Pant said that he shares a great bond with Gill, especially off the field, and that would in all likelihood transform into on-field partnerships as well.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference on June 18 (Wednesday) in Leeds, Pant said, “Shubman and I have a excellent camaraderie off the field, especially off the field. If you are good friends off the field, it eventually comes on the field.
“It’s always better for (our) cricket. And that is something I have always believed. I and him, we gel really well together. We keep on having conversations and the kind of comfort zone we have with each other. I think that is really going to be special for us,” added the Indian wicketkeeper-batter.
Pant further revealed that the number four and five spots in the batting lineup were set, and they would be occupied by the captain and the vice-captain while the remainder of the batters will be hovered around that combination.
“There is still discussion going on about who is going to play (at number) three. But definitely four and five are fixed. I think Shubman is going to bat at No. 4. I am going to stick to No. 5 as of now. And the rest, we are going to keep on discussing that,” he said.
The five-Test series between India and England is one of the most anticipated tours of the year, but it will be happening on the back of a rather tragical backdrop, with the horror air crash in Ahmedabad last week claiming over 240 lives. Pant said that there's still very much a 'mood of sadness' in the camp due to crash, and hoped for the team's performance to bring a bit of solace to the country following the tragedy.
“Because of the air crash, there is a mood of sadness. I think that will be reflected in the game here. And perhaps that gives you a sense of wanting to make people happy because of the air crash. Only thing from our side, we’re going to be sticking with them [and think of ways] how we can make India happy again,” he said.