Rishabh Pant: A binary ‘maniac’ who breaks records

In the longest format, such binary, all-or-nothing batsmanship was not supposed to yield runs. But it does for Pant.

‘We don’t want you to think so much. We will think. There are others to think a lot about the game. You just have to think little bit [sic] and then play your game.’

The words may be Rohit Sharma’s, but there are moments when the entire cricket fraternity wants to say this to the 23-year-old. Of course, this does not include the bowlers he faces.

In two months, Rishabh Pant has acquired premium real estate in Indian cricket fandom. Rohit is no exception to this. He is one of the fortunate few who have witnessed the fireworks from the best seat in the house. When he describes Pant as mental, one has to take his word for it.

It is his ability to found – and clear – the boundary at will that has helped Pant waltz effortlessly through the record books. He has taken on the best bowlers without inhibition. Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, or James Anderson. No name is too big for him.

How do you describe his approach? That cavalier approach had earned him 88 sixes across three editions of the IPL (between 2017 and 2019). But here, in the longest format, such binary, all-or-nothing batsmanship was not supposed to yield runs.

But it does for Pant. In fact, the records keep coming his way with every passing innings. Purists may scoff at his approach to batting, but hard numbers do support Pant’s credentials as one of the finest in business.

Best version of himself

Here is a statistic that can be cited as both cricketing and non-cricketing. One way to demonstrate Pant’s growing popularity is how frequently he has been searched on Google. The spike during, and since, the tour of Australia, is evident. 

Source: Google Trends

But back to cricket. Pant’s terrific run over the past two months has made up for the time he took to get into his groove. His numbers – 515 runs in 10 innings at an average of 64.37 – are phenomenal, especially for someone who fulfills a second role in the side. The strike rate of 76.52 indicates how quickly he can change the course of a match. 

Runs per innings over a calendar year is an ideal metric to understand that 2021 has been exceptional for Pant. As is evident, 2021 has been his best year so far – by a margin of 21.42. 

BG Image Source: BCCI

Pant’s numbers were brilliant in 2019 as well, but he batted in only four Test innings that year. Ten innings, spread across two countries, is a better sample, especially if the player in question has played 20 Tests so far. 

With the T20I and ODI series against England coming up, all eyes will be on how he makes a transition to the limited-overs game. A domain where he is yet to unleash his fury at the international level.

Among the very best 

When he slog-swept Joe Root for six, Pant became only the second wicketkeeper with Test hundreds in England, Australia, and India. A certain Adam Gilchrist was the first. But that is not the only list where Pant co-exists with the legend.

Gilchrist was known for taking down bowling attacks batting down the order in Test cricket. It is only fitting that since Gilchrist’s debut, Pant has the second-best strike rate as a Test wicketkeeper (with a 10-Test cut-off). Of course, he will need to sustain these numbers over a career as long as Gilchrist’s, but there is little doubt that he is walking in the same lanes.

Strike rate is an often-underestimated statistic when evaluating Test careers. However, it cannot be denied that the quicker a batter – or team – scores, the more time the bowlers will get to take 20 wickets. Quick-scoring batsmen have been assets to their sides throughout history.

In the 145-year history of Test cricket, only 11 cricketers have a better strike rate than Pant with a 1,000-run cut-off. Many of these men have made their love for him a public declaration. And of them, only three – Virender Sehwag, Gilchrist, and David Warner – average more than Pant.

Taking over from the best

‘It’s been a little unfair being compared to legends, and the way he’s come out of it, I am extremely happy to see him succeed,’ said R Ashwin after the India-England series. 

The bar was set at the top of the cricketing pyramid for Pant even before his career took off. He scored the fastest First-class hundred by an Indian. He has a triple-hundred in Ranji Trophy. And only two Indians – Sehwag and Hardik Pandya – have better strike rates in the IPL.

That incredible pressure forged a deadly weapon. It took time, but now that we have seen its lethality, it was completely worth it. Much more than the Mel Gibson quadrilogy.

Four out of the top five spots of most Test runs by an Indian wicketkeeper in a calendar year belong to MS Dhoni. It has been barely March, and Rishabh Pant is only 235 runs away from topping that list. And this is a year when India are going to play a lot of Test cricket. A minimum of six Test matches in England, including the ICC World Test Championship final, will be part of India’s fixture this year.

The man whose batting was supposed to yield a high-risk binary outcome, ideally not suitable for the format, is now eyeing for the summit.

BG Image Source: ICC

Pant’s wicketkeeping has been a joyful bonus as well, one his fans have craved for long to throw at the critics. His glovework had been questioned in the past, but he showed significant improvement during the England series. It was not an easy assignment, for the Indian spinners kept deceiving the English batsmen on favourable pitches.

Pant was the first Indian player to get off the mark in Test cricket with a six. The first visiting player in 32 years to have hit the winning runs at The Gabba. The first player to have reverse swept James Anderson for a four in Test cricket.

He’s a maniac in a format where you are traditionally supposed to approach with caution. A binary maniac who breaks records.

~With inputs from Abhishek Mukherjee