'Struggled to Breathe': Rishabh Pant on His Comparison With Dhoni During Early Stage of His Career

Fearless India batter Rishabh Pant has disclosed that he had struggled 'to breathe' during the early stage of his career due to comparison with World Cup-winning skipper MS Dhoni while the Jharkhand dasher is the only one with whom he shares everything about his life.

Hyderabad: India’s swashbuckling wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant has revealed that his comparison with former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni put him under immense pressure and that he was struggling 'to breathe'.

Pant, who is yet to fully recover from a horrifying car accident in 2022 has admitted that he finds comfortable in sharing just about everything about his life only with his mentor Dhoni.

Speaking about deep connection with Dhoni, emphasising open communication and valuable learning experiences with him in a 'Star Sports' documentary that talks about his recovery from the accident, the 26-year-old said, "I always find it difficult to explain my relationship with (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni. There are some with whom you can talk freely. I discuss everything with (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni. I have learned so much from him. I discuss things with him that I wouldn't discuss with anybody else. That's the kind of relationship I have with him.”

The southpaw, who represents Delhi Capitals in Indian Premier League (IPL) has admitted that comparisons with 42-year-old in the early stage of his career were hard to face.

People present in the stadium used to chant 'Dhoni Dhoni' whenever he failed with the bat or made any mistake while keeping the wickets for his national side.

"First of all, I didn’t understand why questions were raised. I had just made it to the team, and people were talking about being a replacement. Why were people raising such questions as a youngster? Why are you comparing? There shouldn't be any comparison at all. Some have played five matches and the others have played 500.

"It's been such a long journey with so many ups and downs, so the comparison is unfair. I used to feel very bad. I used to go back to my room and cry. At 20-21 years of age, under stress, I couldn't breathe. So much pressure and I didn't know what to do. I missed a stumping in Mohali, and the crowd started to chant 'Dhoni Dhoni'," added Pant, who has amassed 2,271 runs in Test cricket.

The wicket-keeper-batter also spoke about the criticisms which he has battled against during the early days of his international career. Pant, who hit the winning runs of the famous 'Gabba' (Brisbane) Test in 2021, also brought to light the supportive nature of senior players like Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni, which helped to get comfortable into the team.

"At the start, I was very young, and there were a lot of senior players, a lot of them. Yuvraj Singh, MS were there, all seniors. It does take some time, but I didn't get the feeling of them being super seniors. They were very welcoming and made me very comfortable. They make every new player very comfortable. This is the culture of the Indian team," he added.

Earlier, In December 2022, Pant himself was driving from Delhi to his hometown Roorkee to meet his family when his car crashed into the median divider on the road. Pant had already revealed that he feared the amputation of his right leg in the aftermath of the horrific car crash which he survived 13 months ago.

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