'I've made mistakes in the past and want to keep improving': Pant after getting Player of the Series

India's stylish wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant returned back to his form and once again proved his prowess with the bat in the second Test against Sri Lanka which India won by 238 runs on Monday (March 14). Pant admitted that he had made mistakes in the past and want to keep improving going forward.

The stocky southpaw with his impactful batting in both the innings, titled the second Test against Sri Lanka in India's favour. His quick-fire 39 in first innings and record-breaking fifty in second innings was crucial in putting the Lankan attack to submission. Pant was declared Player of the Series.

"I think both (batting and keeping), you need to keep evolving, I've made mistakes in the past and want to keep improving. It's not in my mindset, the wicket was difficult to play, so I thought I will look for quick runs. I'll do whatever the team management want me to do (on batting at number five). I think it's more about confidence, previously, I used to think too much, now I'm only focusing on every ball (referring to his improved keeping skills)," Pant said after being adjudged Player of the series award.

India’s unorthodox wicketkeeping-batter has broken the 39-year-old record for fastest Test half-century held by former Indian skipper Kapil Dev. Pant reached his half-century against Sri Lanka from just 28 deliveries to surpass Dev on the list red-ball format on Sunday (March 13). However, in pink-ball Tests, it is the fastest half-century overall. Also, it is the joint second-fastest Test half-century on Indian soil.

The list of fastest half-centurions in Test format is topped by former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, who got to the milestone from just 21 deliveries against Australia in 2014. In 2021, India’s bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur came close to breaking the record against England but got to his fifty from 31 deliveries. 

Dev, on the other hand, scored a 30-ball half-century against Pakistan in Karachi in 1982. He went on to score 73 runs from 53 deliveries including 12 fours and one six. Interestingly, he got caught and bowled as well.

Pant played a superb knock in the first Test where he missed a century by just four runs.

Meanwhile, India skipper Rohit Sharma also said that he just wants to give Pant that freedom to bat in the way the southpaw wants.

"We know how he bats and as a team we just want to give him that freedom to bat in the way that he wants to bat. But also keeping in mind certain situations of the game, where the game is going, we have conveyed that to him but we want to stick with his gameplan as a team," Rohit said at the post-match press conference.