‘I turned to Rahul Dravid and asked 'who is this kid?’ - Sam Billings on his first impression of Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant was a part of the India U19 squad in 2016 that ended as the runners up in the World Cup in Bangladesh. In the same year, he made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for the Delhi Daredevils, now Capitals. The southpaw hasn’t looked back and has notched over 2,000 runs from 68 games with a century against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and 12 half-centuries as well.

The 23-year-old recently scored his second Test ton against England in Ahmedabad. In the meantime, Sam Billings, the England cricketer, recalled an incident in the 2016 IPL where he got the first glimpses of Pant. He remembered talking to Rahul Dravid, the then mentor of the Delhi franchise, regarding the left-handed Pant.

It’s been great to see Rishabh Pant evolve: Billings

“With Pant, I played with him for 2 years when I was in Delhi. I turned to Rahul Dravid and asked ‘who is this kid?’ He was smacking Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Morris, Rabada everywhere in the open net,” Billings was quoted as saying in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. Earlier in 2017, Billings received a lot of flak for saying that Pant could be an apt replacement for MS Dhoni.

Billings lauded Pant for coming up the ranks in the last couple of years or so. “I was just thinking ‘this is unbelievable!’ and that year he lit up. It’s been great to see him evolve as a cricketer and to be in the same team as him again would be great,” he stated.

Billings made his international debut back in 2015, but the right-hander stated that 2020 remains the standout year in his career. Last year, not only did he perform for England, but also played well for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. He is now set to ply his trade for the Capitals in the IPL after being picked at his base price of INR 2 crores.

“Last year was the best year for me in an England shirt by a mile, because of that consistency. It started against Ireland and I managed to maintain that. That’s the challenge. I’m really excited for the next few months and the opportunities ahead with Delhi at the IPL afterward as well,” he added.