You have to score a double ton to leave a mark: Rishabh Pant

Youngster Rishabh Pant made a lot of headlines during the ICC U19 World Cup earlier this year. He was impressive in the tournament despite India losing the finals. Pant made a mark in the IPL season this year during his stint with the Delhi Daredevils. Now, the young lad is making giant strides in the domestic circuit too. He scored a brilliant 146 against Assam in the Ranji Trophy opener for his team. Now, he has raced to a double century against Maharashtra.

A triple century is on the cards for the Delhi batsman. Rishabh Pant spoke to BCCI.tv after remaining unbeaten on 155 against Maharashtra yesterday. He revealed that having seen Maharashtra put on 635 on the board, he knew the wicket was good. “I knew that the wicket was good for batting and I batted accordingly,” said Pant.

He asserted how he likes to dominate when he is batting. He believes that in order to score big runs, it is essential to take risks as well. “Most of the time I look to dominate when I am batting, but (at the same time) when they were bowling well (today), I was backing off. I did take a few risks, but then you have to do that,” he said.

He went on to say that the wicket was even better when Maharashtra batted. Maharashtra batsmen Swapnil Gugale and Ankeet Bawane put on a marathon unbeaten stand of 594 runs in that innings. Pant said the wicket has started to turn a bit now. “The wicket is slightly different now than what it was during the first innings. It was even better for batting then. Now it is turning a bit. So we have to adjust a bit. I was hitting the balls which were in my areas. I didn’t want to do anything extra or out of the way,” quoted the Delhi middle-order batsman.

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He revealed that it is not enough to do good in the IPL to get into the national side. One needs to do well in the domestic circuit too, if they wish to make it big. Rishabh Pant had his chances last year as well in the Ranji Trophy but will get more games to play this season.

“Yes, I did prepare this season for the Ranji Trophy, because just scoring runs in the Indian Premier League is not enough. Last year I had played only a few first-class games as I was part of the India U19 team as well. This year I knew I will get a full season to play and I have to perform. It has started well as of now,” said Pant.

Reflecting back on his knock in the previous match, he expressed his disappointment on missing out on a double ton. He feels that the centuries don’t matter as much as double tons do. To stand out among the rest, it is important to convert hundreds into big ones. His guts and determination now sees him playing set for a triple ton.

“I was out for 146; that will count as a hundred. So, either I have to score 150 or 200 (to make it count). Hundred doesn’t have much value in today’s day and age, you have to score at least a double ton if you want to play good cricket (get noticed and go to the next level). Whatever you score over and above that adds value to you as well. So I had decided that the next time I get a chance I have to score big no matter what. I have to do better than what I had in the first match,” conceded the young man.

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He credited his success to the U19 World Cup and the IPL that gave him the exposure. He quoted that playing against quality opposition helps in improving the game of any player. The exposure from the U19 Cricket World Cup and IPL has helped me. You get to play against good players and that raises your game, you improve. For a domestic player IPL helps gain exposure against a variety of players from different countries which also gave me confidence,” remarked Rishabh Pant.