Pant's Redemption: From 'Stupid' Shot to Test Dominance in England

For five years, Rishabh Pant displayed a thought-provoking quote on his Whatsapp status: "Everyone works to be seen. I work to disappear." This sentiment reflected his mindset during the pandemic lockdown, a period of uncertainty about his future with the Indian team. He later reversed the situation with two magnificent innings in Sydney and Brisbane in 2020-21.

Fast forward to March 2025, Pant made a deliberate decision to uninstall Whatsapp and minimize his mobile phone usage, a crucial step in decluttering his mind after a turbulent phase in his cricket career.

His now-viral front-flip celebration after achieving a century in the first innings of the Headingley Test, mirroring a similar celebration in his last IPL game, was a clear indication of his satisfaction with the turnaround.

Pant's recent form, marked by centuries in his last three innings across formats, was beyond the expectations of even his staunchest supporters just 45 days prior. While his return to form appears straightforward on the surface, those close to him describe the preceding 45 days as the most challenging of his cricketing journey.

Devender Sharma, Pant's childhood coach at Sonnet Club in Delhi, revealed that Pant realized the situation was spiraling out of control after an irresponsible dismissal in the MCG Test. This dismissal was famously criticized as "stupid, stupid, stupid" by Sunil Gavaskar.

In the subsequent Test, Pant demonstrated resilience by absorbing blows to his body while scoring 40 runs on a challenging Sydney pitch. He then reverted to his aggressive instincts, scoring 61 off 33 balls. This performance raised questions about which Pant truly represented his genuine self.

Having lost his place in the ODI XI and struggling in the IPL, Pant disclosed in an exclusive interview with TOI that he was practicing so rigorously in the nets that he developed blisters on his palms.

During the interview, he confided, "I have spoken to a lot of experts. The more I think, the more this phase will keep engulfing me."

He resolved to shield himself from criticism and negativity. Soham Desai, Team India's strength and conditioning coach before the England tour, noted that Pant underwent a demanding routine while benched during the Champions Trophy.

"He did the most intense sessions, day in and day out. He dragged me into the gym whenever he was free. He didn't care about fatigue or workload programmes. All he said was he needed to keep working on himself. On the day of the final, he came to me with some kind of guilt in his mind and asked if he could take the day off. I said it was high time that he did," Desai told TOI.

"Pant has so much in reserve that he will be fine for at least a year without having to do anything extraordinary. That's why you see him moving around so well despite scoring two hundreds and keeping wickets for so long in the Headingley Test," Desai added.

Despite his relentless training, results remained elusive. The turning point occurred when he contacted Devender Sharma a few days before the IPL was suspended due to border tensions with Pakistan.

"When he called me, he kept saying that he was training very hard. I had seen his practice videos put up by Lucknow Super Giants on social media. I told him it didn't seem like he was working on his defence. He has an outstanding defence. I told him to play close to his body and trust his technique to middle the ball more often," Devender told TOI.

The conversation lasted for several hours. "The idea wasn't to discourage him from playing aggressive cricket, which comes naturally to him. The discussion was to reinstill the belief that he could score quickly and score big even by looking to hit in front of the wicket. That's what he has done for most of his career," Devender said.

Following the conversation, Pant admitted that he felt positive about his batting for the first time in months when he powerfully hit Kagiso Rabada over long off and flicked him over square-leg for two sixes. He knew he was back in form. It was not unexpected that after one of his unsuccessful ramp shots at Headingley, Pant was overheard on the stump mic scolding himself. "There is no need to play this shot. You can still get runs hitting in front of the wicket," he muttered.

Every phase of Pant's career has been a captivating story, and this one is no exception. He stands out as India's most consistent and prolific Test batter in the last half-decade. Yet, he consistently leaves fans wanting more. While he has successfully revived his batting form, the real challenge begins now. It remains to be seen if he can maintain focus and shoulder the responsibility of being the most established Test batter in the lineup. In England, Team India needs him more than ever.