Rishabh Pant gave such a big punishment to himself. (Photo- PTI)
Indian cricket team star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant recently scored history by scoring a century in both innings in the Handingley Test against England. He became the first wicketkeeper in the world to score a century in both innings of foreign Tests. However, till a few months ago, his story was completely different. The poor performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia and an irresponsible shot in the Melbourne Test brought him under criticism. This incident took a big step by Pant.
Rishabh Pant gave such a big punishment to himself
In the Melbourne Test, Pant tried to play a ramp shot in the first innings and he was dismissed. He was severely criticized due to this shot. Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar called him ‘stupid, stupid, stupid’ during the commentary. Team India had to face a crushing defeat in this series. Let me tell you, Pant was also part of the Indian team that won the Champions Trophy 2025 title. But he did not get a chance to play a single match. However, now he has managed to make a strong comeback.
All of these influenced Pant deeply. He felt that he needed to change his game and lifestyle. After this, Pant took a big step. According to a report from the Times of India, Pant had removed WhatsApp from his phone in March 2025 and kept the phone closed most of the time, used it only when needed. Along with this, he paid attention to his fitness and batting.
Big disclosure of former strength and conditioning coach
Former India’s strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai said that Pant did a lot of work on his fitness during this period. He used to work for hours in the gym every day regardless of fatigue or workload. Pant’s only goal was to improve himself. He continued his hard work even while staying out of the team in the Champions Trophy. Desai told the Times of India, ‘He used to do the most difficult session day and night. Whenever he was empty, I would drag me to the gym. He did not care about fatigue or workload. He just said that he has to keep working on himself. This dedication of Pant brought color. In the headingley Test, he played a brilliant innings of 134 and 118 runs. Although India lost this match by five wickets, Pant’s batting won everyone’s heart.
