Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting He has heaped praise on the talented wicketkeeper-batsman. Pan RishabhFor his immense contribution to Indian cricket. The legendary batsman also spoke about Pant’s great achievements and resilience.
Ponting has described Pant as a “winner” and said the left-hander has already made a huge impact in his short career. The 25-year-old star has already cemented his place in the Indian cricket team across all three formats after recovering from the various injuries he sustained during his car accident in December 2022.
Rishabh Pant is a serious cricketer: Ricky Ponting
With India Gearing up for a gruelling Test tour of Australia, Pant, who has already been a hero for his team in their previous triumphs, will once again be the X-factor for the tourists to clinch a hat-trick of Test series wins in Australia. Notably, they will play a five-match Test series later this year.
Pantt is known for his playful nature both on and off the field, and even in the recent Duleep Trophy 2024 match, the wicketkeeper-batsman was seen engaging in some banter with Kuldeep Yadav, but his spark has not gone out as he has already smashed a fifty in the tournament. It was his comeback game in red-ball cricket.
Talking about his character, the former Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach highlighted that Pant has fun on the field but that does not mean he is not serious about his cricketing career. Moreover, Ponting compared Pant to the legendary MS Dhoni in terms of his Test centuries and significant performances.
Ricky Ponting compares Rishabh Pant to MS Dhoni
Ricky Ponting was quoted by Sky Sports as saying: “We’ve all seen him play and heard him on the microphone; he’s an infectious character to have around the group. He loves cricket; he’s a winner; that’s what he is. He doesn’t play just to score a few runs and be there for the fun of it.
He must already have between 4 and 5 tests out of 100, and he also has around nine out of 90. [MS] Dhoni played 120 Test matches (90) and scored 3-4 hundreds (6); that’s how good this kid (Pant) is. He is a serious cricketer.”
The former Australian captain highlighted how Pant can fantastically balance his entertaining personality with his serious approach to the game, and this quality sets him apart from others.
Ricky Ponting is also impressed by Pant’s strength and mental fortitude after the serious car accident. He said there were difficulties in his path but Pant’s determination to get back into the game and be fit helped him come back as a champion player.
Ricky Ponting recalled when Pant was confident of his recovery and true to his confidence, the DC captain not only played in the IPL 2024 as a wicket-keeper batsman but also played a major role in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.
Ricky Ponting concluded by saying, “It’s a remarkable comeback. I didn’t think he would play IPL 2024. But 12 months before, he said, ‘Don’t worry about me; I guarantee you I’ll be fine for IPL’. We thought he would be able to bat and we might have to use him as a back-up (impact player), but he stayed in every game, was one of our top scorers, batted at No. 3 in the T20 World Cup, is part of a World Cup-winning team and is now included in the Test squad.”
