‘One of the biggest things in life’: Rishabh Pant reacts to historic victory vs Australia at the Gabba

Rishabh Pant reacts to historic victory: The Indian wicket-keeper batsman sounded overawed by his own efforts at the Gabba.

Irrespective of how India wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant’s international career pans out from hereon, he will unequivocally be remembered for his heroics which powered India to chase a 328-run target at Australia’s fortress in Brisbane.

Once again promoted to No. 5 in a tense Day 5 run-chase, Pant replicated his efforts from the last match in Sydney ensuring that India seal the chase and not just settle for a hard-fought draw.

Having scored 89* (138) with the help of nine fours and a six, Pant’s fourth Test half-century has been etched in history as it played a pivotal role in India winning their second consecutive Test series down under.

In the seven Test matches that Pant has played in Australia so far, he has scored 624 runs at an average of 62.40 and a strike rate of 72.13 which also includes a century and two half-centuries to contribute in becoming sensational numbers against a stellar bowling attack.

With the last one hour or so practically demanding the Indian batsmen to pace the chase like a 50-over contest, 23-year old Pant never gave any signs of hesitating while taking the attack to the opposition bowlers.

Rishabh Pant reacts to historic victory vs Australia

Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Pant termed his innings of a lifetime in a “dream series” as “one of the biggest moments”.

“This is one of the biggest moments of my life now, and I’m happy that all the support staff and all my teammates supported me even when I wasn’t playing. It’s been a dream series,” Pant told Fox Cricket.

Australia’s last defeat at the Gabba was in 1988. Rishabh Pant was born 8 years after that. #AusvInd

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) January 19, 2021

Pant, who has in the past received numerous opportunities at the highest level despite not doing well across formats, also revealed the team management’s trust on him and why he decided to be disciplined with his shot selection.

“The team management always backs me and tells me, ‘You are a match-winner and you have to go win the match for the team’. I keep thinking every day that I want to win matches for India, and I did it today. It was a fifth-day pitch and the ball was turning a bit. I thought I have to be disciplined with my shot selection,” Pant added.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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