Delhi started badly and let two Maharashtra batsman score in excess of 250. While opener Swapnil Gugale scored an unbeaten 351, Ankit Bawne scored 258 not out as Maharashtra put up a huge total of 635 on board against the team from the capital.
Delhi did not have the best of starts and lost two wickets without too many runs on the board. The third wicket too fell at the score of 135 and in walked the 19-year-old wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant. Everyone knew about the talent the dynamic youngster possessed, but never did one think that he could score a triple hundred, even with wickets tumbling at the other end.
Going big
Pant smashed 42 boundaries and nine sixes on his way to 308. Runs came thick and fast as Pant took just 326 balls in his innings to get to the tally he ended at.
A strike rate of 94.47 over a good period and 308 runs is remarkable. The youngster played his shots and though, some might perceive him as a swashbuckling batsman who just got there hitting, he thought otherwise.
“Aggressive nahi khelta main, natural game hai ye mera (I don’t play aggressive cricket, this is my natural game),” said the 19-year-old “Ab kharaab ball aayegi to main maroonga (If a poor ball is bowled, I’ll go after it).”
Pant went on to become the third youngest Indian to score a first class triple century following Wasim Jaffer and Abhinav Mukund. He also became only the second wicket-keeper batsman to score a triple hundred.
Pant had come in at a difficult time with Delhi going after a mammoth first innings total to avoid conceding points. At 135/3, Pant took it upon him to steer Delhi out of trouble and guide them to a big total. But as it panned out, though Pant failed to guide Delhi past Maharashtra’s total, he showed great composure and did not get bogged down, playing fearless cricket, something that comes naturally to him.
It was not all slogging or uncalculated hitting. Pant played his shots and made the most of the loose balls, pouncing on them without fail. It is a hallmark of a good player who rises to the situation and plays his natural game without any fear. Such cricketers are hard to find and once scouted, should be cherished and looked after. Pant, an opener by preference, batted at No. 5 for the team and was unperturbed by the situation. Having been able to adjust at that position and score as much as he did is a phenomenal feet.
Pant who had dreamt of scoring a double hundred in the Ranji season struck a magnificent triple hundred in just his second match of the season. It followed a century against Assam from him in his first match of the season.
Whirlwind century
But the 19-year-old was not satisfied and wanted to keep going. Apart from his rare failure against Karnataka where he managed just 33 , Pant scored a half century against Odhisa and two hundreds against Jharkhand.
His second innings hundred was a record-breaking affair, as he went on to register the fastest first class century in Ranji Trophy history, off just 48 balls.
Pant now has 859 runs in seven innings at an average of over 100 to go with 12 catches and a stumping in the five matches played so far. For a wicket-keeper batsman, the statistics are extremely impressive.
The 19-year-old was also an integral part of the Indian U19 squad and starred in the semi-final, scoring a century and guiding India into the final.
Earlier in the tournament, he also scored the fastest fifty at the Under-19 international level, bringing up the milestone off just 18 balls. He aggregated 267 at an average of 44.50 with a century and two half-centuries, ending as India’s second highest run getter in the tournament.
Pant, besides his competent batting was also impressive with the gloves on and pulled off a neat display behind the wickets providing for positive signs.
Praise from Dravid
His performances saw Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Daredevils bag the Under-19 star for a whopping sum of Rs 1.9 crore. Rahul Dravid, the mentor of the Daredevils and also the U-19 setup, was impressed with the youngster and wanted him in his side.
Though Pant did not get enough chances and only a couple of opportunities at the top, he showed glimpses of why such a huge sum was paid for him and why India’s” Mr Dependable” Rahul Dravid rated him so highly. That innings of note came against Gujarat Lions where Pant scored a brisk 50, toying with the otherwise impressive Lions’ bowling.
Though a lot of players star at the U-19 level but struggle with the transition, Pant with his Indian Premier League cameos and this season’s Ranji performances has put those reservations to bed.
As they say, attitude matters and defines in a big way where you head and how. Apart from his cricketing skills, Pant has shown that he has all the ingredients to become a sporting icon with his never-say-die attitude, confidence and aggression. Pant has the right attitude to succeed at the highest level and is a man that likes keeping his head on his shoulders. Not getting carried away is another great facet of his personality.
A lot of keepers, even in the past, have given short glimpses of their potential way to stardom but faded away soon. The key for Pant here will be to build from here, work on certain aspects of the game, adapt to the bigger stage and be consistent.
A position India has been concerned about and life beyond Mahendra Singh Dhoni seemed tough, Pant though young, might have already made future look easier and rosy.