Follow UsIn a conversation with Jio Hotstar, Indian wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant explained why his bat slipped from his hand on many occasions while he’s attempting a big shot. As it turned out, it has a lot to do with his tight bottom-handed grip and him extending his reach to connect the ball to the boundary.
“I think it mostly happens because I hold my bottom hand very lightly,” Pant said.
“I mainly try to use my bottom hand for support because, at times, it starts dominating. So, I focus on gripping my top hand tightly.
“But when I overreach—especially when the ball is too wide or too short—it’s not always in the ideal hitting zone. Sometimes, the shot I attempt may only have a 30-40% success rate, but depending on the match situation, I’m willing to take that risk. That’s my mindset,” Pant added.
For the swashbuckling batter, getting a boundary anyhow is the priority. For that, even is he has to loosen the grip on his bat to extend his reach, he is fine with doing that. He doesn’t care if he looks in control or not on the broadcast.
“When I take that chance and overreach, I need to do something to maintain balance. At times, it may look like I’m throwing the bat, but in reality, I’m just trying to make the most of that delivery,” Pant admitted.
“If my bat slips, if it’s not in my hand, or even if it hits my head—my only focus at that moment is finding the boundary.”
Pant also said in the same show that times have changed since his young days when he aspired to play for India, with the budding cricketers aspiring the play the Indian Premier League (IPL) before international cricket.
“Since childhood, I had only one dream—to play for India. I never even thought about playing in the IPL. I think today, people are more focused on the IPL,” Pant said.
“Of course, it’s a great platform, but I believe that if your goal is to play for your country, everything else—including the IPL—will eventually fall into place.
“If you have that bigger mindset, success will follow. I always believed that I would play for India one day, and God has been kind. At 18, I got the opportunity to make my debut, and I am grateful for that,” Pant added.