Rishabh Pant will be a threat for Australia in Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Photo : AP
With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the horizon, India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant reflected on one of the iconic moments in the history of the series—his match-winning knock at the Gabba in 2021. Speaking ahead of the series in an exclusive interaction with Star Sports, Pant delved into the mental and physical challenges of playing against Australia and shared a memorable conversation he had with Rohit Sharma after that unforgettable innings.
Speaking exclusively on Star Sports', Pant shared insights into the mental game and his strategy for playing in Australia. When asked about what it takes to thrive against fierce rivals, he said:
"I think about one series at a time. We play almost 365 days a year, so cricket is always on our minds. When you go to Australia, you have to work more on handling the bounce and short balls because the wickets are different there, and the atmosphere is different. They don't want you to win, which makes it more fun. There’s no greater feeling than going to Australia and beating them in their home."
"In general, Australia fights as a team. They don't give you anything easy, and they play aggressive cricket. I won’t throw the first punch, but if someone throws the first punch at me, I won’t hold back. That’s the kind of mentality you need to have when playing against them."
In his true ‘Rishabh-Panti’ style, he also spoke about the praise heaped on him by Rohit Sharma and not understanding the significance of his Gabba Innings
"I don’t know what to say about that. but I’m always trying to do my best. Sometimes, there are performances that you remember for a lifetime, and one of them for me is the Gabba Test. At the time, I didn’t realize how significant it was.
“Rohit bhai was there, and he told me, 'You have no idea what you've done.' I was like, 'What have I done? My aim was just to win the match.' Rohit bhai said, ' Later, you’ll understand what you’ve done.' Now, whenever I hear people talking about that Gabba match, I understand what he meant and how important it was," he concluded.
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