Bengaluru (Karnataka): Ahead of the Duleep Trophy 2024, which opens India's 2024-25 domestic season, wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant in an interview shared his honest take on Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka's poor performances in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) conditions. Pant also emphasized on his return to red-ball cricket and expectations from Duleep Trophy 2024.
In an interview with JioCinema, the wicket-keeper batter spoke about their preparation for the upcoming India-Bangladesh series, "Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka perform well in Asian conditions because they are accustomed to the wickets. However, as the Indian cricket team, we focus solely on our own standards and how we can improve. Regardless of the opposition, we strive to play with the same intensity and give our hundred percent every single day."
Pant spoke about his comeback to red-ball cricket, “I think it is an amazing feeling for me, also because when I met with the accident two years ago, I used to always think about when I will be able to play for India again. In the last six months, I played TATA IPL, and we also won the World Cup. It’s a great feeling as I had always dreamt of winning the World Cup, since I was a kid. Now again I am returning to red ball cricket and will play my first match in Duleep trophy almost after more than two years.”
Pant further explained the importance of playing domestic cricket, specifically the Duleep trophy, "I think it is very important for us to play domestic cricket because as a cricketer match practice is always very important. Especially coming back to domestic cricket, the youngsters also learn a lot of things from us, they see you playing here, even after playing international cricket. There is a lot to give back to domestic cricket. It also gives us the opportunity to share all the learnings and experiences from international cricket with our colleagues, especially with the young players and newcomers; it gives them a huge boost since we all have reached here from playing domestic cricket."
Pant gave an insight into his mindset in International cricket, "I believe the pressure will always be there because in international cricket, you can't take any series lightly. The margin between winning and losing is very small, and nowadays, the gap between international teams isn't much either. However, we have to give our hundred percent regardless, and that mindset has worked well for me so far."
