Rishabh Pant: Team India's star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has recently spoken openly about Indian cricket and players in an interview. During this, while on one hand Pant praised Virat Kohli's consistently good performance, on the other hand he also expressed his pain of being dropped from the ODI team. Along with this, while targeting the batsmen who score runs on domestic pitches, he said that the real player is the one who scores runs on difficult grounds abroad.
'It is impossible to be like Virat Kohli'
During the interview on 'Business of Sports' podcast, when the ups and downs in the form of players were discussed, Rishabh Pant described Virat Kohli as different from everyone else. Pant said, “There are good and bad times in every cricketer's career. Your graph cannot always remain high unless your name is Virat Kohli. He has been amazing throughout his career.” Pant clearly believes that amidst the huge pressure of international cricket, scoring runs consistently in every match for years and years is only in the power of Virat Kohli.
🚨 Rishabh Pant about Virat Kohli:
Rishabh 🗣: “Every cricketer has ups and downs. There's not always a higher graph every time, unless you're Virat Kohli. He has been exceptional throughout his career.”
(Via: Business Of Sport) pic.twitter.com/ccJWaqFhUX
—ONE7 (@17pixels) September 29, 2026
Rishabh Pant's pain after being dropped from ODI team spilled out
When Pant was asked a question about the difficult phase of his career and his recent drop from the ODI team, he gave a very practical and positive answer. Showing his mental strength, he said, “It is obvious that when you are out of the team, you feel bad. But as a player, you have to understand that whenever there is a downfall in life, there is always an opportunity for a great comeback.” Pant made it clear that he is looking at this drop as a challenge and will soon make a strong comeback in the team.
Rishabh Pant about being dropped from ODI squad: (Business of Sport)
“Obviously, you feel bad but as an athlete, you have to understand that whenever there's a setback, there's always a comeback”. pic.twitter.com/diaJPMDbWc
—Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 29, 2026
Difference between domestic and foreign pitches
Rishabh Pant candidly explained the difference between batsmen who score runs on home grounds and the real challenge of foreign tours. Without naming anyone, he said, “When you are playing on your home grounds or in local conditions, you are so used to those pitches because you have practiced there so many times. But the real test comes when you go on foreign tours. Playing there becomes a real and biggest challenge for any cricketer.” Pant's statement directly meant that the real player is the one who proves himself by scoring runs for the team on fast and bouncy foreign pitches outside India.
🚨 Rishabh Pant takes a dig at home flat track bullies like Ishan and Samson :
Rishabh 🗣: “When you're playing in local conditions, you're so used to them because you have practiced there so many times. But when you go overseas, it becomes a real challenge for cricketers.”👀 pic.twitter.com/chmlsWnSKT
—ONE7 (@17pixels) September 29, 2026
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