Rishabh Pant | A maverick, who brooks no resistance

Rishabh Pant's rise in Australian cricket, from car accident to match-winning performances, defines India's hopes in the series.

Australia was the terrain that shaped Rishabh Pant’s halo. His unbeaten 89 that helped India snatch a terrific win at Brisbane’s Gabba in 2021, is the stuff of legend. Ajinkya Rahane’s men won that Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, and seemingly there was no looking back for Pant.

Down Under yet again, Pant, in the intervening years has dealt with a debilitating car accident in 2022 and has made a mind-boggling comeback. So much of India’s fortunes rest on Pant’s ability with the bat, besides his skill-sets behind the wickets. The southpaw can scatter the finest of attacks and ruin well-laid fielding plans.

He is the maverick, who brooks no resistance. In the current series, there was this lovely moment one morning when he sidled behind Adam Gilchrist and closed the latter’s eyes with his hand. A blinded Gilchrist turned around and soon the wicket-keeping club closed ranks. Hugs and words were exchanged before Pant left to join his teammates.

It is in this world of the Gilchrists and M.S. Dhonis, Pant has galloped in with a witty remark, an athletic catch and muscular shots. In the current series, striding in at five, Pant has had scores of 37, 1, 21, 28 and 9. While India and Australia are locked in a 1-1 stalemate, and with two Tests to play, a lot will rest on how Pant can increase his yield with the willow.

So far, Pat Cummins and his fellow speedsters have tried to cramp Pant, either bowling into him, or attempted to lure the batter with a wider line. The short-ball with some fielders placed in an arc from the square-leg fence to fine-leg, has also been pressed into service. Often walking in with an anaemic score, Pant has been lost between the twin stools of aggression and caution.

It doesn’t help that below him, the others haven’t rallied around while Nitish Kumar and the last-wicket heroics of Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep, have been the exceptions. Pant often has to paper the cracks while also factoring in a lower-order that may not necessarily turn up with gumption.

The link between Virat Kohli at four and skipper Rohit Sharma at six, Pant is expected to be this left-handed x-factor, charting new ways for his team. Quick hands, sharp reflexes and a fluidity at the batting crease, remain Pant’s allies. But having established himself over the years, he has also become a subject of intense scrutiny and every perceived vulnerability has been analysed to the hilt.