Wicketkeepers are a different breed in cricket. They need to be chirpy and keep the batter distracted. But Rishabh Pant is someone who has been hilarious behind the stumps and made headlines for his one-liners. Not only his exploits with the bat, his presence behind the wickets was missed then he met an accident on December 30, 2022 and did not play a single game for 14 months. After a few games in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), Pant is contention to get selected for T20 World Cup 2024 squad. As Pant gears up for his international comeback, here's a look at Pant's comments in the match that went viral on social media.
My name is Washington
During a Test match in 2021 against England, Indian bowlers were struggling for wickets. Pant tried to lighten up the mood as he cheered for Washington Sundar by singing, "Mera naam hai Washington, Mereko jaana hai DC (My name is Washington, I have to go to DC)”.
The temporary captain
The most famous of Pant's sledges is when he went after former Australian captain Tim Paine. Australia had a change in leadership when Steve Smith was banned for using sandpaper in the Test series against South Africa. Paine was made captain for the Border-Gavaskar series at home. When he came to bat Pant said, “We have got a special guest here. Have you ever heard of a temporary captain, Mayank? You [Jadeja] don't need anything to get him out. Come on lads. Only thing Paine can do is talking, talking.” It was in retaliation to Paine asking him to babysit.
The Spiderman song
During the famous Gabba clash where Pant led India to a historic win, the wicketkeeper had his fun when Paine and Cameron Green were batting. He was heard singing the Indian version of Spiderman song “Spiderman, Spiderman! Tune churaya mere dil ka chain”.
Instructions to Axar Patel
During the second Test of the four-Test series against England in Chennai, Pant motivated Axar Patel. "Thoda sa aage, thoda sa aage, Milkha Singh Bhage, Pyara Axar thoda jaage". He even asked Patel to bowl different deliveries as Dan Lawrence stuck to back foot. "Pehle hi peeche khada hai, muh pe bhi daal sakta hai isko! (He's already standing behind, you can bowl at his face too),” the southpaw said.
Surya’s welcome to domestic cricket
Suryakumar Yadav made his Test debut in 2023 but he fielded at short leg donning the whites in 2021 in the Test series against England. In a conversation with Gaurav Kapur on 'Breakfast with Champions', Suryakumar recalled, "Once I was fielding at a silly point for Puji Bhai (Cheteshwar Pujara) in a Test in England. The match situation was tight. And suddenly Pant goes ‘Bhaiya chai samosa, kuch du? Over hogaya. Uth jao!’ (bro do you need anything? Tea, samosa? Get up now, the over is done!)”
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