Ex-India cricketer and batting coach Sanjay Bangar has given an account of his initial experience in seeing star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant in a net session, when he was unfamiliar with the Indian dressing room. The courage and attitude with which Pant had entered the nets, or on the 22-yards, was instantly evident to Bangar, who was by this time the coach of the Indian batters.
Pant has been named the Indian Test team’s vice-captain after consistently doing well in red-ball cricket. Bangar claims that Pant has this strategy pre-installed in his head when he takes the field, which has helped him achieve early success at the greatest level. The Beed-born further mentioned how Ashish Nehra of Delhi told him about Pant.
“I had heard from Ashish Nehra that Rishabh is a very good player who’s going to progress very quickly. He is a naturally gifted batter. But, he’s also very fearless. I saw the first sign of his fearlessness in the nets itself. He used to tell the bowlers to bowl quickly and attack his body. Very few batters have had this mindset. He had just begun playing the IPL back then. So Nehra’s assessment was correct. After a long time, we’ve found a wicketkeeper who can bat in the top-5,” Bangar told via Doordarshan Sports.
By the way, Pant, the Haridwar native, is currently recovering after a broken toe that he unfortunately sustained during one of his innings at the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 at the Old Trafford in Manchester in the fourth Test match. Though he was disqualified in the fifth Test, his series was incredible, and, alongside three heroic hundreds against the Englishmen, he made 479 runs out of seven innings.
The next fixture of the Indian team in red-ball will be in their home series with the West Indies. The opening match of the show will be played in the stadium of Ahmedabad on October 2. The fans of the Indian team will be optimistic in that Pant will be in full strength before the two match series, which is vital.
