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How Pant’s fearlessness fast-tracked his entry into Team India as sure shot top 5 batter

Ex-India batting coach recalled how a fearless Rishabh Pant used to ask the bowlers to attack his body in the nets during his early days
Former India cricket team batting coach Sanjay Bangar recalled that Rishabh Pant had shown his ability to bat fearlessly very early on in his career. It took the southpaw just one year after making his T20I debut in 2017 to became an all-format player for the Men in Blue. Bangar pointed out how former India pacer Ashish Nehra had predicted that Pant was going see a meteoric rise back when he was just starting to play in the IPL.
Pant’s fearlessness leaves Bangar in awe
Speaking to Doordarshan Sports, Bangar pointed out that a naturally gifted Pant was very fearless. He recalled that he had first seen the southpaw’s trait while he was bating in the nets where he used to ask the bowlers to bowl very quickly to him. Bangar said that Nehra was right when he had said Rishabh would progress rapidly, adding that India had found a keeper-batter who could bat in the top 5 after a long time in the form of Pant.
“I had heard from Ashish Nehra that Rishabh is a very good player who’s going to progress very quickly. He is a naturally gifted batter. But, he’s also very fearless. I saw the first sign of his fearlessness in the nets itself. He used to tell the bowlers to bowl quickly and attack his body. Very few batters have had this mindset. He had just begun playing the IPL back then. So Nehra’s assessment was correct. After a long time, we’ve found a wicketkeeper who can bat in the top-5,” Bangar said.
Pant is currently on the sidelines owing to a fractured toe that he sustained during the IND vs ENG 4th Test. The southpaw made his comeback in IPL 2024 after recovering from a deadly car crash that saw him sidelined for over a year. He was a part of the Indian team led by Rohit Sharma which won the T20 World Cup in June 2024. Pant then went on to feature in Tests for the remainder of the year. He became the most-expensive player in IPL 2025 after LSG bagged him for a whooping Rs 27 crore. However, he had a rather sub-par season, scoring just 269 runs from 13 innings at an average of 24.45.
Duleep Trophy final: Jagadeesan, Padikkal blow for South Zone, replacements named

South Zone will be without the services of Jagadeesan and Devdutt Padikkal for the Duleep Trophy final against Central Zone
South Zone have been dealt with a blow as star performer in the semi-final Narayan Jagadeesan will not be a part of the team for the Duleep Trophy final. The Tamil Nadu batter scored a combined 249 runs in the semi-final 1 against North Zone. South Zone, led by Kerala’s Mohammed Azharuddeen in the absence of Tilak Varma, qualified for the final by the virtue of taking a 1st innings lead against a depleted North Zone.
No Jagadeesan, Padikkal for Duleep Trophy final
As per Cricbuzz, Jagadeesan and Devdutt Padikkal will not be part of the South Zone team for the Duleep Trophy final which will begin on September 11. Both batters have been named in India A’s squad for the two multi-day games against Australia A that will start from September 16. Tamil Nadu’s Andre Siddharth and Karnataka’s Smaran Ravichandran have been named replacements. Ajay Rohera and Aniket Reddy have been named stand-by players
South Zone will dearly miss the services of their vice-captain Jagadeesan. He was the Player of the Match in the semi-final against North Zone. The Tamil Nadu batter narrowly missed out on a well-deserved double century in the 1st innings as he was dismissed for 197 runs. He stayed unbeaten on 52 runs in the 2nd innings.
Padikkal, on the other hand, scored a 57-run knock in the 1st innings. In the 2nd, he could only manage to score 16 runs before he was sent packing. While Jagadeesan is yet to make his Test debut and was named reserve keeper for the IND vs ENG 5th Test, Padikkal is in the running for a spot in the side, having already made his Test debut last year.
South Zone squad
Azharuddin (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Ricky Bhui (Vice-Captain), Smaran Ravichandran, Kale M, Sheikh Rasheed, Tanmay Agarwal, Salman Nizar, Andrew Siddarth, Tanay Thyagarajan, Gurjabneet Singh, Nidheesh, Kaushik V, Ankit Sharma, T Vijay, Basil NP
Stand-bys: Mohit Redkar (Goa), Snehal Kautankar (Goa), Eden Apple Tom (Kerala), Ajay Rohera (Pondicherry), G Anikeeth Reddy (Hyderabad)
How Pant’s fearlessness fast-tracked his entry into Team India as sure shot top 5 batter

Ex-India batting coach recalled how a fearless Rishabh Pant used to ask the bowlers to attack his body in the nets during his early days
Former India cricket team batting coach Sanjay Bangar recalled that Rishabh Pant had shown his ability to bat fearlessly very early on in his career. It took the southpaw just one year after making his T20I debut in 2017 to became an all-format player for the Men in Blue. Bangar pointed out how former India pacer Ashish Nehra had predicted that Pant was going see a meteoric rise back when he was just starting to play in the IPL.
Pant’s fearlessness leaves Bangar in awe
Speaking to Doordarshan Sports, Bangar pointed out that a naturally gifted Pant was very fearless. He recalled that he had first seen the southpaw’s trait while he was bating in the nets where he used to ask the bowlers to bowl very quickly to him. Bangar said that Nehra was right when he had said Rishabh would progress rapidly, adding that India had found a keeper-batter who could bat in the top 5 after a long time in the form of Pant.
“I had heard from Ashish Nehra that Rishabh is a very good player who’s going to progress very quickly. He is a naturally gifted batter. But, he’s also very fearless. I saw the first sign of his fearlessness in the nets itself. He used to tell the bowlers to bowl quickly and attack his body. Very few batters have had this mindset. He had just begun playing the IPL back then. So Nehra’s assessment was correct. After a long time, we’ve found a wicketkeeper who can bat in the top-5,” Bangar said.
Pant is currently on the sidelines owing to a fractured toe that he sustained during the IND vs ENG 4th Test. The southpaw made his comeback in IPL 2024 after recovering from a deadly car crash that saw him sidelined for over a year. He was a part of the Indian team led by Rohit Sharma which won the T20 World Cup in June 2024. Pant then went on to feature in Tests for the remainder of the year. He became the most-expensive player in IPL 2025 after LSG bagged him for a whooping Rs 27 crore. However, he had a rather sub-par season, scoring just 269 runs from 13 innings at an average of 24.45.
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