Rishabh Pant has been the long-sought-after successor of MS Dhoni for the Indian Cricket Team behind the stumps. No other wicket-keeper has become a staple of all formats for the national team like Pant has been for the past few years after Dhoni’s 2020 retirement.
Having already proven himself to be a massive match-winner at all levels of the game, Pant has now become the vice-captain of the Indian team in Tests and will play a leadership role in the upcoming tour to England. Now, in the prime of his career age-wise, Rishabh Pant will now have to transition from a young talent to a senior player in the ICT.
Rishabh Pant Stats
Rishabh Pant Stats: Batting
| Format | Matches | Ins. | Runs | B.F. | H.S. | Avg. | S/R | N.O. | 4s | 6s | 50s | 100s | 200s |
| Tests | 43 | 75 | 2948 | 4004 | 159* | 42.11 | 73.62 | 15 | 320 | 73 | 15 | 06 | 00 |
| ODIs | 31 | 27 | 871 | 820 | 125* | 33.50 | 106.21 | 01 | 81 | 26 | 05 | 01 | 00 |
| T20Is | 76 | 66 | 1209 | 950 | 65* | 23.25 | 127.26 | 14 | 111 | 44 | 03 | 00 | 00 |
| IPL | 125 | 123 | 3553 | 2407 | 128* | 34.16 | 147.61 | 20 | 319 | 170 | 19 | 02 | 00 |
Rishabh Pant Stats: Wicketkeeper
| Format | Matches | Catches | Stumpings |
| Tests | 43 | 149 | 15 |
| ODIs | 31 | 27 | 01 |
| T20Is | 76 | 40 | 11 |
| IPL | 125 | 80 | 24 |
Rishabh Pant Career Overview
Rishabh Pant was born on October 4, 1997 (making him 27 years old), near Roorkee, Uttarakhand. He shifted to Delhi to play junior cricket and impressed for Delhi in under-19 cricket, and was selected for the 2016 U-19 World Cup, even breaking the record of the fastest fifty in competition history against Nepal.
A few months before, he had made his List A and first-class debut in the Vijay Hazare and Ranji Trophy for Delhi. And in the very next season, he scored 308 runs in a single inning against Maharashtra, becoming the youngest Indian to score a first-class triple-hundred. In 2017, at the age of 19, he became Delhi’s List A captain, taking the reins from Gautam Gambhir.
2016 was the breakout year for Pant as a cricketer, as that very year, he was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for that year’s IPL, the same day he scored a 100 in the U-19 World Cup. He scored his first IPL 50 that year as well against the Gujarat Lions. However, it was the 2017 season when Rishabh came into the spotlight in India’s premium T20 competition, scoring 266 runs that season, including a brilliant 97.
But if 2016 was a fine season for a youngster in the league, then 2018 was an elite-level season for any player by Rishabh Pant, who scored a whopping 684 runs in 14 games at an average of 54.61 and a strike rate of 173.60. It is his best IPL season as a batter to date.
In February of 2017, Pant would make his T20I debut for India. He played that match as a batter, as MS Dhoni was the wicketkeeper. His Test and ODI debuts would come in the latter half of 2018. His Test debut came during India’s tour to England. In the fifth and final Test of that series, Pant scored a century, which was the first ton by an Indian wicketkeeper on English soil.
The young keeper/batter saw a dip in form for the next couple of years. While he did fine in the domestic, his Indian Cricket Team form was not the best. This was a concern as MS Dhoni retired at this time. But all the troubles would be lifted during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With the series at 1-1 draw, Pant played a crucial knock of 97 in the third match at Sydney and led India to a draw. Then, in the fourth Test at the formidable Gabba, Rishabh was named the Player of the match for his impeccable 97* on the final day and leading his team to victory in that match and the series.
In 2021, he was named the captain of the Delhi Capitals. In the first year, he took the team to the playoffs. His stint as the DC captain wasn’t too successful. And so, ahead of the 2025 season, he was released by Delhi and was bought by the Lucknow Super Giants for Rs. 27 crore, making him the costliest cricketer in league history and making him their captain.
In December 2022, Rishabh Pant was in a horrific high-speed car crash and narrowly escaped with his life. It took him about 15 months to recover, and he would make his return to top-level cricket during the 2024 IPL.
A couple of months after his recovery, Rishabh Pant would win the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and would once again become a regular across all formats. Now, after Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket, Shubman Gill has become the national team captain in the format. And as one of the most senior players in the team, Pant is now the Indian vice-captain in whites.
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