It’s impossible to keep a fish out of water. That’s not only because it would perish if not in the aquatic region as it’s pretty obvious. But that’s primarily because it thrives there. It is the water to which the fish belongs- nowhere else.
The water is the fish’s dominion. The very reason for existence.
And where it comes to a certain Rishabh Pant, he is no ordinary swimmer.
Pant is a different animal altogether
Pant is the Barracuda among the fish; he’s a force in motion that is meant to thrive.
And he belongs to the cricket pitch, nowhere else.
Think of it like this.
There are some things that just don’t look good when on the backfoot. Put Rishabh Pant on that segment.
Even death changed its plans and somehow backed off when it came to pick this force of nature.
No full stops in Rishabh Pant’s life
What would one say other than just when it seemed there would be the prevalence of a full stop, the script of life somehow changed and made way for an exclamation mark.
And Rishabh Pant and his brand of cricket is exactly about that, is it not?
The sort of batting that leaves behind stunned onlookers and surprising glares. Forget not, defeated bowlers and helpless fielders.
A lot changed since Pant was in recovery mode
(Source- IndiaTV News)
It’s been well over a year and a half since Rishabh Pant was last seen holding a cricket bat in a live contest.
Then came about a near death experience; an accident that made him eschew the cricket bat for months together and make space for a walking stick.
The person who thrived on the pitch was subdued and lift lumbering, reduced motionless and relegated to the bed.
A lot, if you were to think about it, changed in the months that Rishabh Pant watched along albeit in a recovery mode.
Gujarat emerged as near Titans of the IPL while Jadeja ensured that Chennai prevailed much like the SuperKings of cricket. The West Indies surprised India in a T20I series held in the Caribbean. Jimmy Anderson notched up his 600th Test wicket. The likes of Holder and Pooran refused central contracts of their national side. Bumrah jumped back into the thick of things and rollickingly humbled India’s opponents.
The Netherlands stunned the West Indies in the 2023 ODI World Cup qualifiers and flew to India to play the grand contest all desperately waited for. Afghanistan impressed in the campaign and played valiantly.
India, who had been playing magnificently all along, were humbled by Australia.
Pat Cummins became a new mega star of the game. Travis Head broke millions of hearts at the back of a valiant knock.
Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, subsequently arose as one of finest things about Indian cricket in the past couple of years.
Moreover, as seen recently, Ireland won their first ever Test match in men’s cricket. And not too long ago, world cricket observed the birth of the Indian Veteran Cricket League.
The man is back
(Source – ABP live)
Back, however, in Rishabh Pant’s world, there were signs of gradual recovery as one hoped the dynamite with the cricket bat would soon mark his return to live action.
And finally, after a little over 15 months of staying off the game that he brings to life each time he walks out to bat, it appears that moment is finally here.
His Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting hasn’t stopped raving about the pocket sized dynamo of world cricket insisting that he’s been “hitting the ball quite well in the IPL nets.
And where it stands right now, then Rishabh Pant and his countless fans are just hours away from finally witnessing the moment one’s anxiously anticipated all this time.
Taking on the mighty impressive Punjab Kings will be the Delhi Capitals in game #2 of the Indian Premier League’s 2024 edition.
But most improbably, the man who’ll be leading a team thrust with mighty fine calibre- David Warner, Lungi Ngidi, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Kuldeep Yadav and even Shai Hope- will be the very person who has been away from the game all this time.
While there’s unbridled excitement surrounding his comeback, Rishabh Pant will be well advised to tread cautiously and proceed with guarded aggression as his comeback dawns upon us.
What to expect from Rishabh Pant
And yet, he’d be hopeful of breaking into usual rhythm and flustering bowlers with familiar grit. He doesn’t even put on a smirk when doing so. It’s not easy to hit one handed sixes and dance down to medium pacers with familiar force.
Pant, who’s clearly not the most complete batsman in world cricket, has his ways of toying with bowlers.
He’s done that to all around the world, be it Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Tushar Deshpande, Yuzi Chahal or Rashid Khan.
And it would be, truth be told, exceptionally brilliant to see him do what he does best.
Dominate off his competition and one and all in the ocean akin to a mighty Barracuda who doesn’t give into pressure!