The maturity we’ve seen with Hardik, now we’re seeing in Pant: Gavaskar

Rishabh Pant’s comeback from a deadly car accident in December 2022 to playing in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 has been a massive chapter in Indian cricket. Pant had to undergo treatment for close to 18 months before returning to the IPL 2024 and subsequently making it to the Indian team for the mega showpiece event in the USA and West Indies. 

In the ongoing World Cup, not only has he looked good in terms of batting, but his mobility behind the stumps has been incredibly good as well. That agile body of work has made Gavaskar go gaga about the Delhite.

“It's a miracle, you know? I mean, we all were so concerned when we heard about the accident. We heard about the severity of the injuries and we were all praying for him just to be ok. But not only has he been ok, he's come back so strongly. He's lost a little bit of weight, which was probably needed and it looked at one stage that he was just maybe getting a little overweight. He's lost a bit of weight and he's looking so good, so fit," Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports after India’s Super8 match against Afghanistan.

"Look at his mobility. Those two catches that he took, he was. He ran about 20-30 yards. I know the ball was up in the air, but there was Rohit Sharma there, one of the safest pairs of hands in the game. But wicketkeeper's gloves are always much safer than ordinary hands, you know, plain hands. So he was there and again recognising the situation."

Pant has been promoted to the No.3 role in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup. Against Afghanistan, coming in right after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal, Pant managed to score a quickfire 20 off just 11 balls, which helped India regain the momentum. That understanding of the situation made Gavaskar liken Pant’s maturity to that of Hardik Pandya.

"This is the maturity that is so important. We've seen it with Hardik Pandya, we are seeing it in Rishabh Pant's cricket. The maturity of understanding conditions. Yes, batting-wise, he will still continue to play the game. 

“That's exactly what you want because he's a naturally attacking player and he can upset the bowler totally. That's what he did. He didn't score too many runs. He got 20 in about 10 deliveries at an SR of 200, but that is exactly what you want at that stage," remarked the Indian batting icon,” the original Little Master added.

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