My mother and sister enjoyed my sledging in Australia: Rishabh Pant

India took away the honours in the recently concluded Test series against Australia, winning by 2-1 after triumphs in Adelaide and Melbourne respectively. Amidst some awe-inspiring cricket, the fixtures were also a witness to some healthy banters between the players. Rishabh Pant turned out to be a chatterbox and his conversations, especially with Tim Paine, were caught in the stump microphones.

During the third Test at the renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Paine called him a ‘babysitter’ when the latter came to bat. Pant didn’t die wondering and called the 34-year-old Aussie wicketkeeper a ‘temporary captain’ during the hosts’ run chase. Later, Bonnie Maggs, Paine’s better-half, uploaded a picture on Instagram that added more humour to Pant and Tim’s friendly interactions.

I had a duty to do for my team

In the meantime, Pant mentioned that he isn’t someone to take the brunt all the time. Rather, the youngster prefers to fight with fire. Furthermore, the Uttarakhand-born cricketer also mentioned that his mother Saroj and sister Sakshi enjoyed him sledging on the field.

“That is how I am. If someone provokes me, I’ll give it back. I had a duty to do for my team. But I know the code of conduct. I remember my values. I have sledged and people have actually loved it. That my mother and sister enjoyed it makes me happy,” Pant was quoted as saying in The Times of India (TOI).

Talking about idolising Adam Gilchrist and MS Dhoni, Pant mentioned: “I do idolise Gilchrist and Mahi bhai (Dhoni). But that doesn’t mean I want to become that same person. It’s not about copying your idol. It’s more about learning things from them. I want to be myself. I want to be Rishabh Pant.”

As far as the series was concerned, Pant was arguably one India’s best batsmen. The left-handed batter racked up 350 runs in seven innings at an average of 58.33. His top score of 159 not out came in the first innings of the fourth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It also happened to be his second Test ton.

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