Rishabh Pant facts for kids
![]() Pant in 2024
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name |
Rishabh Rajendra Pant
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Born | Roorkee, Uttar Pradesh (present day Uttarakhand), India |
4 October 1997 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname | Spiderman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | 10 July 2025 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2025 | Lucknow Super Giants (squad no. 17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 16 July 2025
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Rishabh Pant (born 4 October 1997) is a famous Indian cricket player. He plays for the Indian cricket team. He is a wicket-keeper and a strong batter.
Rishabh is currently the vice-captain for India in Test matches. He also leads the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. For local games, he plays for Delhi.
In 2025, Rishabh became the most expensive player in the Indian Premier League. The Lucknow Super Giants bought him for a huge amount of money. He was part of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup. He also helped India win the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Rishabh was the vice-captain of the India U-19 team. This team finished second in the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He played his first international T20 match in 2017. His Test debut was in 2018, and his first One Day International (ODI) was also in 2018.
In 2019, Rishabh Pant was named the ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer of the Year. This award is for new players who show great talent. In 2021, he was named the Men's Player of the Month. In 2022, he became the captain of the Indian T20I team. This happened when the regular captain, KL Rahul, was injured.
Contents
Early Life and Cricket Training
Rishabh Pant was born on 4 October 1997 in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India. His parents are Rajendra and Saroj Pant. He has an older sister named Sakshi.
When he was 12, Rishabh traveled to Delhi every weekend. He trained with Tarak Sinha at the Sonnet Cricket Academy. Rishabh and his mother stayed at a Gurdwara because they did not have a place to live.
His coach, Sinha, suggested he play for Rajasthan's U-13 and U-15 teams. Rishabh also changed his batting style to become better. A big moment for him was playing U-19 cricket for Delhi against Assam. He scored 35 runs in the first part of the game. Then, he hit 150 runs in the second part. He says this was his most important score.
On 1 February 2016, during the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, Rishabh made a very fast fifty. He scored 50 runs off just 18 balls against Nepal. This was the fastest fifty at that level. Rishabh's father passed away on 6 April 2017.
Playing for Teams in India
Rishabh Pant played his first first-class match on 22 October 2015. This was in the 2015–16 Ranji Trophy. He played his first List A match the next month.
In the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy, Rishabh scored 308 runs in one game. This made him the third-youngest Indian to score a triple century in first-class cricket. On 8 November 2016, he scored the fastest century in the Ranji Trophy. He reached 100 runs in only 48 balls for Delhi against Jharkhand.
In February 2017, Rishabh became the captain of the Delhi team. He led them in the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy. The coach, Bhaskar Pillai, said it was a team decision to prepare Rishabh for future leadership.
On 14 January 2018, Rishabh scored another very fast century. He made 100 runs from 32 balls in a Twenty20 match. This was the second-fastest century in Twenty20 history.
Indian Premier League Highlights
Season | Team | Matches | Runs | 50s | 100s |
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2016 | Delhi Daredevils | 10 | 198 | 1 | 0 |
2017 | Delhi Daredevils | 14 | 366 | 2 | 0 |
2018 | Delhi Daredevils | 14 | 684 | 5 | 1 |
2019 | Delhi Capitals | 16 | 488 | 3 | 0 |
2020 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 343 | 1 | 0 |
2021 | Delhi Capitals | 16 | 419 | 3 | 0 |
2022 | Delhi Capitals | 13 | 340 | 0 | 0 |
2024 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 446 | 3 | 0 |
2025 | Lucknow Super Giants | 14 | 269 | 1 | 1 |
Total | 125 | 3552 | 19 | 2 | |
– Source: IPL T20 |
The Delhi Daredevils bought Rishabh Pant for the 2016 Indian Premier League. This happened on the same day he scored a century for India U-19. That century helped his team reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
In his third game of the 2016 season, Rishabh scored 69 runs. This helped Delhi win against Gujarat Lions. In the 2017 season, he scored 97 runs off 43 balls against the same team.
During the 2018 Indian Premier League, Rishabh scored 128 runs without being out. This was against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. It was the highest score by an Indian player in IPL history at that time. He also became the second-youngest player to score a century in the IPL.
In March 2021, Rishabh became the captain of the Delhi Capitals. This was for the 2021 Indian Premier League season. The regular captain, Shreyas Iyer, was injured. Rishabh continued as captain for the 2022 IPL season. In 2024, the Delhi Capitals released him.
The Lucknow Super Giants bought Rishabh for a record 27 Crores in the 2025 auction. This made him the most expensive player in IPL history. The team owner announced Rishabh as the captain for the 2025 IPL season. He scored his second IPL century in 2025 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
International Cricket Journey
In January 2017, Rishabh Pant joined India's Twenty20 International (T20I) team. He played his first T20I match on 1 February 2017 against England. He was 19 years and 120 days old. This made him the youngest player to debut for India in a T20I.
In July 2018, Rishabh was chosen for India's Test team. He made his Test debut against England on 18 August 2018. He was the first Indian batter to score his first Test runs with a six. On 11 September 2018, Rishabh scored his first Test century against England. He was the second-youngest wicket-keeper and the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in England.
The next month, he joined India's One Day International (ODI) team. He made his ODI debut against the West Indies on 21 October 2018.
In December 2018, Rishabh took eleven catches in a Test match against Australia. This was the most catches by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test. In January 2019, he became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a Test century in Australia.
In June 2019, Rishabh joined India's team for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He replaced Shikhar Dhawan, who was injured. After the World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) called Rishabh the rising star of the team.
In September 2019, Rishabh became the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to get 50 dismissals in Test cricket. In January 2021, he became the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to reach 1,000 runs in Test cricket.
Overcoming Challenges and Strong Comeback
Rishabh faced some tough times in his career from 2019 to 2020. He was expected to take over from MS Dhoni as India's main wicket-keeper. However, his performances were not as strong. Also, KL Rahul started playing well as a wicket-keeper. This meant Rishabh was not always the first choice.
His performance in the 2020 IPL season was also not his best. He was then left out of the limited-overs team for the tour of Australia. Fans and media often compared him to MS Dhoni. Sometimes, crowds would even chant "Dhoni! Dhoni!" when Rishabh made a mistake.
Things changed for Rishabh in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020–21. India had a tough start in the first Test. Rishabh was then picked for the second Test in Melbourne. He scored 29 runs in that game.
In Sydney, he played a game-changing innings. He scored 97 runs off 118 balls. This helped India get a draw in the match. Then, in the final Test at The Gabba, Rishabh played a match-winning innings. He scored 89 runs without being out. India chased down a big target and won the match.
In September 2021, Rishabh was part of India's team 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 for India in a Test match. He reached 50 runs in just 28 balls.
In May 2022, Rishabh was named vice-captain for a series against South Africa. He became captain when KL Rahul was injured. At 24 years old, he was the second-youngest captain for India in a T20I. In July 2022, he scored his first century in ODI cricket. He made 125 runs and was not out.
Return to International Cricket and New Records (2024-present)
In April 2024, Rishabh Pant returned to international cricket. He was added to India's squad for the T20 World Cup. This was his first time playing for India since his car accident in late 2022. His leadership during the game was important for India's win in the final against South Africa.
In June 2025, he made history. He became the first Indian cricketer to score centuries in both parts of a Test match in England. He also became the second wicketkeeper-batter to do this in a single Test match. He achieved these records by scoring two centuries in the first Test at Headingley. This was part of the 5-match Test Series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He also became the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to reach 3,000 runs in Test matches. He did this in 76 innings.
2022 Car Accident and Recovery
On 30 December 2022, Rishabh Pant was in a car accident. It happened on the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. He was driving from New Delhi to his hometown, Roorkee. He was the only person in the car.
The car hit a road divider and caught fire. Rishabh was rescued by a bus driver, Sushil Mann, and a bus conductor, Paramjeet Singh. He had injuries to his head, back, and feet. This included cuts on his forehead and a ligament tear in his right knee. He also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe.
Rishabh was first taken to a hospital in Roorkee. Later, he was moved to Max Hospital in Dehradun. Doctors checked his brain and spine, and they were normal. He needed plastic surgery for his face and other injuries. His injuries kept him from playing cricket until his return in the 2024 Indian Premier League.
See also
- List of Ranji Trophy triple centuries