Even Sachin Tendulkar Took Time To Score First ODI Hundred - Kiran More On Rishabh Pant

Former Indian national chief selector Kiran More lauded Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for backing himself in the 50-over format.

Be it red-ball or white-ball cricket, Pant is someone who has never hidden from the eyes of his critics.

Pant was dropped from India’s ODI squad after the first ODI against Australia in January 2020. Karnataka player KL Rahul donned the wicket keeping gloves behind the stumps in the 50-over format.

Later that year, Pant missed the white-ball series in New Zealand and the ODI series in Australia in December.

The southpaw earned his entry back in the white-ball formats based on an astounding run in the Test series in Down Under.

Since he returned to the ODI side, Pant scored 341 runs in eight innings with four 50-plus scores. His best score of 85 came in the second ODI against South Africa.

Even Sachin Tendulkar took time to score his first ODI hundred: Kiran More

More, who has worked with Pant at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), was asked about Pant missing on a three-figure score in ODIs. The former Indian player mentioned that legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar took his time to achieve his maiden ODI hundred (79 innings).

“Even Sachin Tendulkar took time to score his first ODI hundred,” More told The Week.

“The expectations of Pant were from his batting; there was a lot of pressure on him, but he backed himself and his game (as a batter) has gone up for me,” he added.

I do not focus on landmarks: Rishabh Pant

Pant said that he doesn’t focus enough on going after milestones and only aims to give his best performance.

“Personal goals are important, but I do not focus on landmarks. I am fine scoring 97. I just want to give my 200 per cent. If I think too much about landmarks, then I will not be able to perform in the next match.

“I just want to [do] whatever the team management wants me to do. If I can win matches for India, that is the biggest kick for me,” Pant said. 

Pant is currently leading Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022, his second season as the captain of the team.

Also Read: I Had To Make India Win – Rishabh Pant On Playing In Australia Test Series