Player profile: Prolific with the bat and dangerous with the gloves, Rishabh Pant can be India's match-winner on any given day

There has never been a question mark over the kind of potential possessed by Rishabh Pant. On any given day, the hard-hitting southpaw can change the complexion of a game within a span of a few deliveries. Terming Pant as India's X-factor would not be wrong, but the reason why the left-handed batter has been criticised is that he has failed to produce match-winning performances in the shortest format of the game.

The 25-year-old has been named in India's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is going to be his second, and the Men in Blue, along with a billion Indians will hope that Pant can translate his immaculate talent into match-winning performances in the multi-national tournament.

Quick Information about Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant Early life

Though Pant plays his domestic cricket for Delhi, he was born in Uttarakhand on October 4, 1997. Before even becoming a teenager, Pant would travel to Delhi with his mother to hone his cricketing skills. Due to a lack of accommodation, Pant and his mother used to reside in a Gurdwara.

As months and years passed, Pant's talent became more visible as his performances caught the attention of onlookers. And it was the U-19 World Cup that made Rishabh Pant a household name in India as he sizzled throughout the tournament, including an 18-ball fifty against Nepal. 

Rishabh Pant ICC Rankings in Test, ODI and T20

Rishabh Pant's Debut in Test, ODI, T20, IPL, etc.

• Ranji Trophy Debut: At the age of 18 in the year 2015
• Test debut:  18 August 2018, in Trent Bridge against England Cricket Team
• ODI debut:  21 October 2018 in Barsapara Cricket Stadium against West Indies Cricket Team
• T20 debut:  01 February 21017 in M.Chinnaswamy Stadium against England Cricket Team
• IPL debut: 27 April 2016 in Arun Jaitley Stadium with Delhi Daredevils Cricket Team against Gujarat Cricket Team
• Selected in 50 overs WC:  At the age of 21 in the year 2021
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Rishabh Pant Stats:

Rishabh Pant Ranji career

After bursting into domestic cricket in 2015, Pant went on a record-breaking spree. From scoring the fastest century in Ranji Trophy (52 balls) to scoring the second-fastest century in cricket (32) balls during a Zonal T20 league match, the southpaw started separating himself from the pack. And soon his performances would earn him a national call-up.

Rishabh Pant T20 International career

The wicketkeeper-batter made his India debut in the T20I format on February 1, 2017, against England in Bengaluru. In a format in which Pant was expected to excel, he failed to deceive. He could never nail his place in the playing XI as inconsistencies with the willow-exasperated fans of Indian cricket.

So far in T20Is, Pant has played 62 matches for the Men in Blue. The left-handed batter has aggregated 961 runs at a strike rate of 127.62, which doesn't do justice to his mercurial potential. Pant has registered three half-centuries in the shortest format of the game.

Rishabh Pant ODI career

Earlier in 2022, Pant played his best knock in white-ball cricket for India when he trounced England's bowling attack and registered a stunning century. He made his ODI debut for Team India on October 21, 2018, against West Indies in Guwahati. Since then, the wicketkeeper-batter has gone on to smash 840 runs in 27 matches at a strike rate of 108.80 with the help of five half-centuries and one hundred.

Rishabh Pant Test career

Against popular prediction, Pant has enjoyed the most success in the longest format of the game. His match-winning innings against Australia at the Gabba will be remembered for a very long time as he ensured India beat Australia in the Border-Gavaskar series Down Under. Since then, Pant has never looked back in Test cricket and is one of the vital cogs in the Indian Test side.

He made his Test debut against England in Nottingham in 2018 and has since gone on to play 31 matches, scoring 2,123 runs in the process at an average of 43.32. He has smashed 10 fifties and five half-centuries in red-ball international cricket.

Rishabh Pant IPL career

Pant got the taste of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2016 and has since evolved to be the leader of the Delhi Capitals' franchise. The swashbuckling batter has played several match-winning innings in the cash-rich league and decimated multiple world-class bowlers. So far Rishabh Pant has played 98 IPL matches, scoring 2,838 runs in the process at a strike rate of 147.97 with the help of 15 half-centuries and one ton. 

Rishabh Pant Indian Premier League (IPL) Price list