Rishabh Pant's Redemption: From IPL Struggles to Test Dominance in England

For Rishabh Pant, a quote that read, "Everyone works to be seen. I work to disappear," once served as his Whatsapp display picture. This was during the global lockdown, a period when Pant's place in the Indian team was uncertain. Now, fast forward to March 2025, Pant has uninstalled Whatsapp to declutter his mind after a chaotic season.

His front-flip celebration after reaching a century in the Headingley Test mirrored a similar celebration from his last IPL game, signaling a turnaround. Just 45 days prior, such a performance seemed improbable. Although his return to form appears simple, those close to him describe the preceding 45 days as the most challenging of his career.

Devender Sharma, Pant's childhood coach, noted that Pant realized the situation was spiraling after his dismissal in the MCG Test, famously criticized by Sunil Gavaskar.

During the subsequent Test, Pant scored 40 runs amidst physical blows on a challenging Sydney pitch, followed by a rapid 61 off 33. Yet, it remained unclear which version of Pant was the "real" one.

After losing his spot in the ODI XI and a poor IPL season, Pant revealed he was practicing intensely, resulting in blisters on his palms.

He confided that excessive thinking was overwhelming him. Consequently, he chose to isolate himself from criticism. Soham Desai, India’s former strength and conditioning coach, observed Pant's rigorous routine when benched during the Champions Trophy.

"He did the most intense sessions, day in and day out," Desai stated. "He dragged me into the gym whenever he was free. He didn’t care about fatigue or workload programmes. All he said was he needed to keep working on himself."

Desai added, "Pant has so much in reserve that he will be fine for at least a year without having to do anything extraordinary. That’s why you see him moving around so well despite scoring two hundreds and keeping wickets for so long in the Headingley Test".

Despite his rigorous training, initial results were lacking. The turning point came when he consulted Devender Sharma before the IPL break due to tensions with Pakistan.

"When he called me, he kept saying that he was training very hard. I had seen his practice videos put up by Lucknow Super Giants on social media. I told him it didn’t seem like he was working on his defence. He has an outstanding defence. I told him to play close to his body and trust his technique to middle the ball more often," Devender shared.

The conversation lasted for hours, aiming to reinforce his belief in scoring quickly by hitting in front of the wicket, a strategy that defined much of his career.

Following the discussion, Pant felt positive about his batting, exemplified by his shots against Kagiso Rabada. His self-correction on the stump mic at Headingley further confirmed his renewed focus. "There is no need to play this shot. You can still get runs hitting in front of the wicket," he was heard saying.

Each phase of Pant's career presents a unique narrative. Currently, he stands as India’s most consistent Test batter of the last half-decade. To maintain this position, he needs to remain grounded and fulfill his role as a leading Test batter, especially crucial for Team India in England.