'Rohit Bhai told me you've no idea what you've done' - Rishabh Pant gets candid on his historic Gabba innings

Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series starting on November 22nd, Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant interacted with fans at an event. He spoke about the challenges of playing in Australia, what makes it one of the toughest rivalries in cricket, and shared his reaction to the praise he has received from Australian cricketers.

During India's tour of Australia 2020-21, Rishabh Pant wreaked absolute havoc in Australia's fortress Gabba to win the historic series for India. When India had a depleted squad, the young guns rose to the occasion with Pant in particular displaying the aggressive brand of cricket. Pant remained unbeaten on 89* in the Brisbane Test to win the series for India 2-1.                                   

Speaking exclusively at Star Sports' 'Star Nahi Far' event, Rishabh 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."