Rishabh Pant - The unpolished diamond

“In course of time, once you go beyond a certain level, ability or talent is the most useless virtue to possess. It’s what you do with that talent that matters”

Harsha Bhogle’s inspiring words in his intriguing speech at the IIM Ahmedabad has carved an indelible impact on the psyche of people, especially the ones with high aspirations. Probably, that’s what segregated talents like Bhogle from the others, who couldn’t or didn’t substantiate their attributes and potential as their career progressed.

Sachin Tendulkar and his childhood pal Vinod Kambli’s contrasting stints in the Indian national team are glaring examples of the above-mentioned quote. While initial success swayed Kambli and pushed him into oblivion, Tendulkar, silently climbed the ladder and paved his way into the pages of history. The above-mentioned players are well past their playing age.

The struggle for Pant

However, the rationale will be applicable with every passing generation. Rishabh Pant is speculated to fill in the massive boots of the enigmatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It’s human tendency to draw comparisons of a newbie with an established veteran after a couple of sterling shows on the cricket pitch. Nevertheless, that’s exactly the time when the talent is more on display than the work ethics.

Rishabh Pant’s foray into cricket, not international, grabbed the headlines. However it was nothing, but a fairytale beginning to what was destined to be a tumultuous endeavour for the pugnacious potential. He flourished for the Indian U-19 team under Ishan Kishan, wielded his magic for the Delhi Daredevils thereafter followed by his run-churning spree in the domestic circuit.

But again, international cricket is a different ballgame altogether. Domestic cricket comes with the luxury of committing mistakes and yet getting away with it, cricket at the national level doesn’t. The competition is cut-throat and room for errors are minimal, something which separates international cricket from domestic cricket.

The cursed immaturity

After much speculations, Pant was handed his India cap against England at Bangalore- the youngest T20 debutant for India. However, it was a lucky break for Pant as MS Dhoni was present in the eleven when the Uttarakhand-born cricketer donned the national cap. He took charge in the dying stages of the innings, flung the willow, more in hope than conviction, and smashed a boundary in his three-ball stint.

The dynamic youngster had to wait five months for his next opportunity during India’s one-off T20 against the Windies at Kingston. The struggle was evident as his almighty willow-swings imploded alarmingly. Though he muscled three boundaries, a knock of 38 runs off 35 balls was way below par on a pitch where Evin Lewis picked the bones out of India with a 62-ball 125 run masterclass.

The wait was longer next time round- approximately nine months, the time taken for a newborn baby to see the daylight. Rishabh Pant would have hoped for a rebirth. The series, also featuring Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was indeed meant for Pant, one of India’s fringe players. Moreover, the opponents weren’t the most daunting teams going around, which somewhat tilted the odds in favour of Pant.

The start, though not an unforgettable one, wasn’t an auspicious one either. His knock against Sri Lanka never gained momentum as he haplessly flogged his willow only to be slapped with disappointment. In an attempt to smack the leather, he lost his shape, and rarely middled the ball and horror of horrors, he stumbled against Bangladesh as well and was permanently sidelined, at least for the series.

Meanwhile,

Overall T20 strike-rate- 160.57

T20I strike-rate- 105.79

Nidahas Trophy strike-rate- 96.77

Pretty much sums it up for Pant at the national level

A steepler, but not insurmountable

Dinesh Karthik’s blitz against Bangladesh might have helped India clinch the series, however, it hasn’t gone down well for Pant. The knock has escalated chances of Karthik’s inclusion ahead of Pant in India’s upcoming assignments, especially after the performances of both in the event. MS Dhoni, being an indispensable member of the Men in Blue, also would invariably be back in India’s next series.

However, all’s not lost for Pant. There’s a silver lining in the dark clouds of his brash and outlandish attitude as well. Last year, the southpaw took the field for the Delhi Daredevils against the Royal Challengers Bangalore after attending the cremation ceremony of his father. He telecasted his zeal to play the game instead of allowing the traumatic incident to mar his mental sanctity.

Moreover, he played a stupendous knock and nearly guided his team home singlehandedly to victory, which attracted praises for Pant from every nook and corner of the country. The knock was impressive enough for the franchise to retain him for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. For the superlative talent, Pant is, he is most likely to stay in contention for an Indian berth.

Nevertheless, it’s currently an uphill task for him to break into India’s playing eleven. All the ‘talent’ for which he was hailed, is steadfastly translating into ‘uselessness’. However, work ethics and determination can work wonders for Pant. Ingredients don’t make delicious delights to the taste buds, an appropriate combination of the same does.

Pant is blessed with suffice time, however, it’s up to him whether he considerers it as a ‘luxury’ or an ‘opportunity’ to roar for Team India in the future.