“If someone provokes me, I’ll give it back,” says Rishabh Pant on sledging in Australia

Rishabh Pant on sledging in Australia: The Indian wicket-keeper opened up on sledging batsmen during the Australia Test series.

India wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant played a big role in India winning the recently concluded Test series against Australia. Playing his first series down under, the 21-year old cricketers had put on display an a dominating all-rounder performance.

Finishing the series as the second-highest run-scorer (above India captain Virat Kohli), Pant scored 350 runs in four Test matches at an average of 58.33 and a strike rate of 73.99. Performing his duties behind the stumps, he grabbed 20 catches, more by an Indian wicket-keeper in a Test series.

With him scoring his second Test century at Sydney, Pant became the only the second (after Jeff Dujon) visiting wicket-keeper batsman to score a Test hundred each in England and Australia.

Apart from all of this, Pant also gained numerous eyeballs for his involvement in banters with respective Australian batsmen throughout the series. Pant was witnessed saying a few things to the Australian batsmen which included Usman Khawaja, Pat Cummins and Tim Paine.

In a recent interview with The Times of India, Pant disclosed the reason behind getting involved in sledging, laying emphasis on his personality of ‘giving it back’. Pant also said that his family enjoyed his banter throughout the series.

“That is how I am. If someone provokes me, I’ll give it back. I had a duty to do for my team. But I know the code of conduct. I remember my values. I have sledged and people have actually loved it. That my mother and sister enjoyed it makes me happy,” Pant told TOI.

Talking about the cricketers he idolises, Pant named former India captain and current wicket-taker batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni and former Australia cricketer Adam Gilchrist.

“I do idolise Gilchrist and Mahi bhai (Dhoni). But that doesn’t mean I want to become that same person. It’s not about copying your idol. It’s more about learning things from them. I want to be myself. I want to be Rishabh Pant,” he added.