Ever since Adam Gilchrist unintentionally ushered in the era of the outstanding wicketkeeper-batter who could nail down a place on his wicketkeeping or destructive batting alone, teams around the world have gone in search of men who could do the same.
India tried Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik and found considerable success with M.S. Dhoni. But even Dhoni’s Test-match record, especially away, didn’t quite keep up with his brilliance in limited-overs cricket.
If the past 15 months are any evidence, India may have finally found that player with ‘Gilchristesque’ impact in Rishabh Pant.
In the current ICC World Test Championship cycle (2021-23), he has the most dismissals (35) and the most runs for a wicketkeeper (517).
A rare thing
In the recently concluded victorious Test-series against Sri Lanka, the 24-year-old won the player-of-the-series award — a rarest of rare thing for a designated wicketkeeper — on the back of some superlative batting and outstanding glovework.
Pant scored 185 runs from three innings at a strike-rate of 120.12 (career SR: 70.45), which included a match-turning 97-ball 96 in Mohali, and a 28-ball half-century in Bengaluru which was the fastest-ever by an Indian in Tests. He also effected eight dismissals on tracks that turned treacherously.
Reminding Sehwag
In his batting, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he reminds one of Virender Sehwag, the mere thought of whom would put teams on the defensive. A false shot lurks all the time, only to arrive after the best-laid plans of the opposition have been shredded to bits. Just ask Tim Paine of Brisbane 2021.
He can play with the mind of the opponent — to enforce the follow-on or not, to declare or not. All of this was best captured in the words of Indian captain Rohit Sharma at the end of the Bengaluru Test when he said, “His batting is his batting.”
Big improvement
Pant’s keeping has improved leaps and bounds. After an average debut series in England in 2018, where he struggled against the wobbly, moving ball, he was much better during the 2021 visit.
The current Indian fast-bowling line-up bowls consistently straight, attacking the stumps. So, there are fewer balls that go through to the wicketkeeper. Concentration is paramount.
Pant is also superb in the air, which means he can cover a lot more ground and help spread the slip cordon wider.
Not an easy task
And to excel standing up to the wicket to the likes of R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel on tracks like Bengaluru is no ordinary task.
“His keeping was the best I have seen,” Rohit said, on Monday. “He kept well when England came last year and he seems to get better every time. That is something I have been very impressed with.”
Pant is also evolving as a leader. He captains the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals, where that astute Australian Ricky Ponting is the coach. In the Indian team, he seems to have become Rohit’s ‘Man Friday’ when it comes to DRS calls — an art, even if Rohit thinks is a “lottery” — and the provider of a steady stream of inputs from the best seat in the ground.
This is a lot of responsibility to handle. But the head isn’t hanging heavy.
