IND vs IRE: "Bouncer khelna hain mujhe..." - Rishabh Pant puts in intense practice ahead of India's T20 World Cup opener

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is putting extra effort into preparation for the upcoming match in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). Rishabh Pant focused on mastering his skills against bouncers during a practice session before his team's World Cup opener.

Rishabh Pant scored a brilliant half-century during India's only warm-up match against Bangladesh. Pant scored 53 runs off 32 balls, including four boundaries and four sixes, as India posted 182 runs on a challenging surface. The Indian bowlers restricted the opposition team to 122 runs to help the team win the match.

Bouncer Khelna Hain Mujhe - Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant engaged in an intensive training session ahead of the match against Ireland. Pant focused on perfecting the hook shot for over an hour on an unpredictable pitch with an uneven bounce on Tuesday, as per TOI. The young cricketer consistently urged the throwdown expert to bowl bouncers if they missed the length.

The Delhi Capitals skipper might be promoted to No. 3 to maintain a left-right batting combination. Pant insisted on practicing bouncers, saying, "Get it right bhai, bouncer khelna hain mujhe (I have to play bouncers)," to the throwdown specialist, even after being hit a couple of times during the practice session.

Rishabh Pant made a comeback to professional cricket for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The left-handed batter showcased brilliant form despite a 15-month absence from competitive cricket. He earned a call-up from the selectors following his performances in this year's T20 tournament.

The wicketkeeper-batter scored 446 runs at an impressive average of 40.54 and a strike rate of 155.4. The southpaw smashed three half-centuries with a best score of 88 runs. He was brilliant behind the stumps, with 16 dismissals in the season. However, his team failed to advance to the playoff stages of the tournament.

Just To Give Him An Opportunity - Rohit Sharma On Rishabh Pant

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma revealed the reason behind promoting Rishabh Pant to No. 3. Rohit said that the team management intended to give Pant more time at the crease. Rohit mentioned that the team's batting order is still being finalized.

"Just to give him an opportunity. We haven’t nailed the batting line-up yet, we wanted most guys to get a hit in the middle. Even the bowlers did pretty well. All in all happy with how things went. Pretty much got what we wanted from the game," Rohit said in the post-match presentation.

Apart from Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya contributed a well-paced 40 runs off 23 balls as India scored 182/5 in their allotted 20 overs. The Rohit Sharma-led team is set to kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday, June 5. 

Also read: AUS vs OMAN: "Don’t think they have players with good techniques..." - Oman captain Aqib Ilyas on Australia