Rishabh Pant facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Rishabh Rajendra Pant
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| Born | 4 October 1997 Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India |
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| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Wicket-keeper-batter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 291) | 18 August 2018 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 3 January 2025 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 224) | 21 October 2018 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 7 August 2024 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 68) | 1 February 2017 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 28 July 2024 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–present | Delhi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2024 | Delhi Capitals (squad no. 17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 6 January 2025
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Rishabh Rajendra Pant (born 4 October 1997) is an Indian international cricket player. He is a wicket-keeper batter for the Indian cricket team. He also plays for Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and for Delhi in domestic cricket.
Rishabh is well-known for scoring runs consistently, especially in Test cricket. He was a key player in the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup. He was also the vice-captain of the India U-19 team that finished second in the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
He first played for India in a Twenty20 International (T20I) match in January 2017. His Test debut was in August 2018, and his One Day International (ODI) debut was in October 2018. In 2019, he was named the ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer of the Year. In 2021, he was named the Men's Player of the Month by the ICC.
In June 2022, Rishabh Pant became the captain of the Indian team for a T20I series against South Africa. This happened after the original captain, KL Rahul, was injured. In the 2025 IPL auction, Pant was bought by the Lucknow Super Giants for a record-breaking amount, making him the most expensive player in IPL history.
Contents
Early Life and Cricket Journey
Rishabh Pant was born on 4 October 1997 in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India. His parents are Rajendra and Saroj Pant, and he has an older sister named Sakshi.
When he was 12, Rishabh and his mother would travel to Delhi on weekends. There, he trained with coach Tarak Sinha at the Sonnet Cricket Academy. They stayed in a Gurdwara (a Sikh temple) because they didn't have a proper place to live in the city.
His coach, Sinha, suggested that Pant try playing U-13 and U-15 cricket in Rajasthan. Pant was also told to change his batting technique to become a better player. A big moment in his career came when he was playing U-19 cricket for Delhi against Assam. He scored 35 runs in his first turn at bat, then hit an amazing 150 runs in the second. He says this was the most important innings of his career.
On 1 February 2016, during the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, Pant scored a half-century (50 runs) in just 18 balls against Nepal. This was the fastest fifty ever at that level.
Sadly, Rishabh's father passed away on 6 April 2017.
Playing for Domestic Teams
Rishabh Pant started his professional cricket career in India. He made his first-class debut on 22 October 2015 in the 2015–16 Ranji Trophy. A month later, he played his first List A match in the 2015–16 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
In the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy, Pant scored 308 runs in one innings against Maharashtra. This made him the third-youngest Indian player to score a triple century in first-class cricket.
On 8 November 2016, Pant set another record in the Ranji Trophy. He scored the fastest century (100 runs) in the tournament's history, reaching it in just 48 balls. This happened in a match between Delhi and Jharkhand.
In February 2017, Pant was chosen to be the captain of the Delhi team for the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He took over from Gautam Gambhir. The team's coach said it was a decision to help prepare Pant for future leadership roles.
On 14 January 2018, Pant scored the second-fastest century in a Twenty20 match. He made 100 runs from just 32 balls while playing for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh.
Indian Premier League Journey
| Season | Team | Matches | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Delhi Daredevils | 10 | 198 |
| 2017 | Delhi Daredevils | 14 | 366 |
| 2018 | Delhi Daredevils | 14 | 684 |
| 2019 | Delhi Capitals | 16 | 488 |
| 2020 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 343 |
| 2021 | Delhi Capitals | 16 | 419 |
| 2022 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 340 |
| 2024 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 446 |
| 2025 | Lucknow Super Giants | N/P | |
| Total | 112 | 3284 | |
| – Source: IPL T20 | |||
Rishabh Pant was bought by the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for the 2016 Indian Premier League. This happened on the same day he scored a century for the India U-19 team in the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
In his third game of the 2016 season, Pant scored 69 runs off 40 balls, helping Delhi win a big match. In the 2017 season, he scored an impressive 97 runs from just 43 balls against the same team.
During the 2018 Indian Premier League, Pant scored an unbeaten 128 runs from 63 balls. This was the highest score by an Indian cricketer in IPL history at that time. He also became the second-youngest player to score a century in the IPL.
In March 2021, Pant was named the captain of the Delhi Capitals for the 2021 Indian Premier League. This was because the regular captain, Shreyas Iyer, was injured. He continued as captain for the 2022 IPL season. In 2024, Delhi Capitals decided to release him from their team.
However, the Lucknow Super Giants bought Pant for a record amount in the 2025 auction. This made him the most expensive player ever in the history of the IPL. The team owner announced that Rishabh would be the captain for the upcoming 2025 IPL season.
International Cricket Career
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Rishabh Pant started playing for the Indian national team in January 2017. He made his T20I debut against England. At 19 years and 120 days old, he was the youngest player to debut for India in a T20I match.
In July 2018, he joined India's Test squad for a series against England. He made his Test debut on 18 August 2018. He became the first Indian batter to score his first Test runs with a six! On 11 September 2018, Pant scored his first Test century against England. He was also the second-youngest wicket-keeper and the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in England.
The next month, he made his One Day International (ODI) debut for India against the West Indies on 21 October 2018.
In December 2018, during a Test match against Australia, Pant took eleven catches. This was the most catches by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test match. In January 2019, he became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a century in a Test match in Australia.
In June 2019, Pant joined India's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He was a replacement for an injured player. After the World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) called Pant the "rising star" of the team.
In September 2019, Pant became the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to complete fifty dismissals in Test cricket. In January 2021, he became the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to reach 1,000 runs in Test cricket.
Rishabh faced some challenges in his performance between 2019 and 2020. However, he worked hard and made a strong comeback. In a crucial Test match against Australia in 2021, where India was missing many key players, Pant played an amazing innings. He scored an unbeaten 89 runs, helping India chase down a big target and win the match at The Gabba, a ground where Australia had not lost since 1988.
In September 2021, Pant was selected for India's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. In January 2022, he was named in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year for 2021. In March 2022, he scored the fastest half-century by an Indian batter in a Test match, reaching 50 runs in just 28 balls.
In May 2022, Pant was named the vice-captain for a series against South Africa. He then became the captain for the series when the original captain was injured. At 24 years old, he became the second-youngest captain to lead India in a T20I match.
In July 2022, Pant scored his first century in ODI cricket, making 125 runs and remaining not out in a match against England.
In April 2024, Pant was added to India's squad for the T20 World Cup. This marked his return to international cricket after a serious car crash in late 2022.
2022 Car Crash and Recovery
On 30 December 2022, Rishabh Pant was involved in a serious car crash on the Delhi-Dehradun highway. He suffered injuries to his head, back, and feet, including a ligament tear in his right knee. He also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe.
He was rescued by a bus driver, Sushil Kumar, and a bus conductor, Paramjeet Singh. His injuries kept him away from competitive cricket until his return in the 2024 Indian Premier League. His recovery showed his incredible determination to get back to playing the sport he loves.
See also
- List of Ranji Trophy triple centuries
