Indian batsman and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been named the new captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday (January 20). As he embarks on a new journey in the IPL, Pant reflected on the captains’ learning.
Rishabh Pant has had the honor of playing with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for India. While Kohli is one of the best captains India has ever seen in all formats, especially in Test cricket, Rohit has his own legacy of being one of the best white-ball captains in the world.
Rishabh Pant emphasizes on confidence and fighting spirit of players after becoming captain of Lucknow Super Giants
Apart from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the swashbuckling wicketkeeper learned a lot from one of the greatest captains of all time, MS Dhoni. Rishabh Pant shares a great bond with the legendary goalkeeper and even MS Dhoni helped the youngster with his contributions over the years.
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As the left-handed batsman is now set to lead a new team, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), in IPL 2025, it was not Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni, but Rohit Sharma, whose special quality he wants to incorporate into his own leadership style.
He credited Rohit for teaching him how to truly take care of his players, and that is instilling confidence, as when a captain shows faith and trust in his team, the players can deliver extraordinary performances that go beyond expectations.
Want to learn from Rohit Sharma how to take care of a player: Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant was quoted by Revsportz: “Yes, I have learned from many captains, from many of my seniors, because I feel that you don’t have to learn only from your captain. But it’s hard to be very specific. Rohit Bhai is one. Like Rohit Bhai, you have learned to take care of a player because I feel the same as a captain when I captain a team.”
The new LSG skipper emphasized that leadership is about learning from everyone around you, not just a captain. Rishabh Pant also highlighted the importance of trusting and supporting players to bring out the best in them, and that is how he wants to shape his captaincy.
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The Indian goalkeeper further noted, “I feel that if you give confidence to a player, he will do things that you can’t even imagine for you and the team. And that’s the kind of ideology we like to have: we will support the players, we will try to give them confidence and we will have clear communication about what kind of role we want for them. And that’s the idea.”
Rishabh Pant aims to build a winning culture at Lucknow Super Giants
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant said he wants to inculcate a ‘never die’ attitude in the Lucknow Super Giants as he believes fighting spirit matters more than performance. The LSG captain wants to create the kind of team character and culture where players give an extra 20-30% even when their body feels exhausted in the upcoming IPL 2025.
Rishabh Pant explained further. “One thing is that attitude of never dying, of fighting until the last ball. And that’s something I always emphasize: performance comes and goes. But are you fighting enough? Are you giving your 100% when you’re on the field? And that is something you can control as an individual.
Because, look, everyone gets tired. But eventually, how far are you willing to go? Are you willing to give that extra 20-30% for the team, even if your body doesn’t allow it? That’s the type of character we want on the team. And that is the type of culture we seek to build.”
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“With Rohit Bhai, I have learned to take care of every player,” says Rishabh Pant about the captaincy lessons he received from Rohit Sharma.@LucknowIPL @RishabhPant17 @ImRo45 #RishabhPant @debasissen @BoriaMajumdar pic.twitter.com/ACqNijOute
-RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) January 20, 2025