Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2018: Rishabh Pant Relishes his Fastest T20 Ton for Delhi

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant revealed all he did was to focus on scoring runs for his team before registering himself into the record books by bringing up the fastest hundred in the Twenty20 format when it comes to the Indian player.

“I started off normally. I even left two-three balls when I got a good delivery, but then I was middling the ball well and runs began to flow and I capitalized on that,” Pant was quoted as saying by BCCI.tv.

Pant, who represented Sonnet Club, did not hesitate to set the example of Indian skipper and batting mainstay Virat Kohli, who has been enjoying the batting show, as the former pointed out that scoring runs hold the key which further set the way for records.

“I try to perform and while doing that records happen…. like Virat Bhai (Kohli) keeps scoring (I try to do the same). Records happen if you keep scoring, so at the end of the day, if you are scoring runs then everything is good,” Pant said while praising the efforts of his coaches.

The left-handed batsman Pant, who is known for his pyrotechnics, has brought up the hundred in 32 balls which now stand-second on the charts which saw him relishing the innings.

“It feels good to see your name in the record books. But one doesn’t play for records,” Pant maintained.

Interestingly, the fastest overall T20 hundred record is held by the swashbuckling Windies opener Chris Gayle, who achieved the remarkable feat in 30-balls while representing Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors during the seventh edition of the lucrative league.

“Obviously, I felt good about it when I came to know, you always do, when that happens. Last season (2016-17 season) too, I had scored the fastest first-class hundred in India and then this year (2017-18 season) in T20,” Pant asserted.

While further shedding light on his record-breaking innings against Himachal Pradesh in the ongoing Zonal domestic T20 competition at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, Pant said there was nothing new, but he kept banking on his strength to score freely owing to the positive approach while adding the wicket was familiar for batting.

“It was like I bat every day. Today, I came in with a bit more positive mindset. I was thinking that I have to bat long and score big. The wicket was good for batting,” Pant explained.

So much so, Pant felt he had faced the maximum of 45 deliveries while batting alongside senior campaigner Gautam Gambhir.

“I felt I had played 40-45 balls but later came to know that I had played 32 balls only for the hundred,” Pant recalled after his inning which grabbed the headlines.

Pant alongside Gambhir handed Delhi a thorough win by ten wickets after chasing down the target of 145 in 11.4 overs.

The promising youngster Pant remained unbeaten on 116 off 38 balls, as his innings included 12 sixes and eight boundaries.

As the century has a greater significance, Pant remarked he had worked hard to improve for scoring big while reiterating he was lucky to convert his start today after failing to register big in the recent past.

“I have been trying to score big for some time (now). I was batting well but wasn’t able to convert it into big scores so that is what I was trying to do; to convert the knock into a big one and that happened today,” Pant admitted the fact.

However, Gambhir scored 30 off 33 balls which saw him collecting four boundaries.

It was the first hundred of the ongoing season (2017-18) for Pant which has already seen him seen and his team qualifying for the grand finale of the Ranji Trophy 2017-18.

“(Yes) It is my first century of the season. (While) every run that I score is important,” Pant concluded.

The Haridwar-born Pant has featured in two T20Is for India after making his international debut against India in Bengaluru in February 2017.

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