When you look at Rishabh Pant the first thing which comes to mind is the audacity with which he plays his shots. He has the uncanny ability to take on world-class bowlers and it was quite evident during England’s tour of India when Pant played two of the most audacious shots against two of the greatest speedsters James Anderson and Jofra Archer.
With the 14th edition of IPL having just begun, star CSK batsman Suresh Raina spilt beans to Bharat Sundaresan on his relationship with the Indian stumper who has currently being elevated as the captain of the Delhi Capitals.
"BHAIYA, I want to be the best wicket-keeper batsman in the world,” Pant had told Raina during their time spent in Ghaziabad.
All Pant wanted was Raina to listen to what he had to offer during the week-long period where the two southpaws spent together in Ghaziabad and Delhi back in July last year. That was a period that helped Pant relax himself and set his aims high which eventually transpired in Australia and against England. Raina felt that Pant needed an arm around his shoulder and Raina continued doing his duty as an elder brother.
"I really didn't have much to do with it. He is a young cricketer bursting with talent who in my view is set to become a great player for India. Back in June, he'd just come off a not so good time with the bat. There was a lot of talk about him. So, he just wanted a break from it all, from the media and from everything. All he wanted me to do was listen. He wasn't looking for me to give anything, forget a solution," Raina told Cricbuzz.
Raina further recalled that Pant had a lot to say and he just allowed the youngster to vent out whatever he had to offer. It was a month before Raina announced his retirement along with MS Dhoni. Besides spending several hours in the nets and sweating it out, the brotherly bonding kept growing as the two would indulge in leisurely activities. From watching Netflix together to going out on rides to playing with Raina’s kids they gelled along nicely.
"When we weren't at training, he would be home all day, playing with my kids, chatting with the wife. We watched a lot of comedies on Netflix, ate a lot of good food, whatever he felt like eating, and just chatted away," says Raina.
"We would go for drives around the city, either in his yellow car or at times in mine. We would listen to the music that we both enjoy. It was all so positive and even during those drives, he would open up a lot, and all I did was let him talk," he adds.
Raina and Pant spent the majority of their time at the training centre in Ghaziabad where they put their heart and soul to training.
"It's been a good experience because with him (Raina) you can learn a lot of things. He is a left-handed batsman. You have got that brotherhood. He teaches me a lot of things, on and off the field situations. We discuss a lot of things and it's helping me," Pant said about Raina during an Instagram chat on the official Chennai Super Kings channel.
"He's amazing. He's a top guy and I want him to be who he is. He has been performing, scoring lot of runs for Delhi and of course for the Indian team. I just want him to be the best batsman for his calibre and I hope he will make you all proud," was Raina's response during the same interview last year.
Meanwhile, Raina also recalled the fact that the Pant’s sole focus was how to improve his fitness rather than improving on any technical aspects. Pant has been criticised in the past for his fitness problems and he wanted to prove all his critics wrong.
"He did a lot of fitness work with me. With his batting, it wasn't technical at all. It was more about getting into the right mindset and feeling good about his cricket and his enjoying his game," Raina revealed during his interaction with Cricbuzz.