Being agile enough helps you as a wicketkeeper: Rishabh Pant
India Today
Rishabh Pant made his debut for India back in 2017 and has grown leaps and bounds, both as a wicketkeeper and as a batter in his career.
Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant said that being agile is an important quality to show consistency as a wicketkeeper. After playing for the India U19 team in the 2016 World Cup, Pant has come up the ranks in the last six years. Following his debut for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Pant forayed into international cricket in 2017.
Earlier in his career, Pant had to face loads of criticism for not being able to match the standards set by the legendary MS Dhoni. Drop catches and missed stumpings didn’t help his cause by any stretch of the imagination.
The southpaw said that apart from agility, one needs to stay focussed and disciplined to excel in the art of wicketkeeping.
"I think one quality would be, you keep yourself agile because in wicket-keeping you do different type of conditions. So, if you are agile enough, that's going to help a wicketkeeper. Second thing, watch the ball till the end.
“So, sometimes what happens as a wicketkeeper we tend to know that the ball is coming and we become relaxed. So, till the time you catch the ball, you should watch it," Pant was quoted as saying on a podcast on SGTV.
"And the third one is - be disciplined and keep working on your techniques. Everyone has different techniques but at the same time, if you can come closer to the base, that is going to help everyone," he added.
Pant recently played in the 2022 IPL where he took eight catches and effected four stumpings. He also scored 340 runs from 14 matches at a strike rate of 151.78, although he failed to take the Capitals through to the playoffs.
