‘Want to be the best wicketkeeper batsman’: Suresh Raina reminiscences Rishabh Pant’s words

India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was greeted as the hero of India’s momentous victory in the fourth Test against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane.

The left-handed batsman had scored an unbeaten 89 to guide his side to a 3-wicket win at a venue where Australia had not lost a game since 1988. Pant’s magical knock also helped the side win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1.

Before the epic Australian tour, Pant was under a lot of scrutinies for his wicketkeeping and batting. In July 2020, the Delhi-lad spent a quality time with former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina, who helped the youngster not to pay attention to outer noises.

While speaking to Cricbuzz, Raina revealed what Pant had told him during the training sessions in Ghaziabad and Delhi last year. The 34-year-old recalled Pant telling him that he wants to be the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the world.

“Bhaiya, I want to be the best wicketkeeper batsman in the world,” the 23-year-old had told Raina.

Raina further added that he did not have to do much concerning Pant’s growth as he is a special talent in order to become a great player.

“I really didn’t have much to do with it. He is a young cricketer bursting with talent who in my view is set to become a great player for India. Back in June he’d just come off a not so good time with the bat.”

“There was a lot of talk about him. So, he just wanted a break from it all, from the media and from everything. All he wanted me to do was listen. He wasn’t looking for me to give anything, forget a solution,” said Raina.

Pant was given opportunities in all formats, but he failed to seize them and lost his place in the limited-overs side due to KL Rahul’s emergence. While in the longest format, Wriddhiman Saha became the first-choice keeper for Team India.

However, the Australia tour has turned the tables and witnessed Pant’s timely return, where he ended as India’s leading run-getter with 274 runs, including two half-centuries.