Former India cricketer and batting coach Sanjay Bangar has recounted his first experience witnessing star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant in a net session, when he was new to the Indian dressing room. Bangar, India’s batting coach at the time, was quick to note Pant’s boldness and mentality, whether in the nets or on the 22-yard line.
Rishabh Pant has been named the Indian Test team’s vice-captain after consistently doing well in red-ball cricket.
According to Bangar, this technique is pre-installed in Pant’s mind before he gets onto the pitch, which has resulted in early success at the top level. The Beed-born also learnt about Pant from Delhi’s Ashish Nehra.
“I heard from Ashish Nehra that Rishabh is a really good player who would grow soon. He is a naturally talented batter. But he’s also really fearless. I noticed the first hint of his recklessness in the nets themselves. He would order the bowlers to bowl quickly and assault his body. Very few batters have had this mindset. He had only recently started playing in the IPL at the time. So Nehra’s assessment was correct. “After a long search, we’ve found a wicketkeeper who can bat in the top five,” Bangar told Doordarshan Sports.
Speaking of Pant, the Haridwar native is currently healing from a toe fracture sustained during the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, while batting in the first innings at Old Trafford in Manchester. He was subsequently ruled out of the final Test, but had a fantastic series overall, collecting 479 runs in just seven innings, including three gutsy hundreds against the Englishmen.
The Indian team’s next red-ball assignment will come during its home series against the West Indies. The series will begin on October 2, with the first match at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Indian fans will be praying for Pant’s return to fitness ahead of the crucial two-match series.
India
