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Rishabh Pant (Source: X)
Rishabh Pant is a fan favorite as the whole cricket world, including the critics and the viewers, loves him for his gameplay and positive attitude towards the sport. At the age of 26, Pant has become extremely successful and taken the team's responsibility quite brilliantly. Former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith admitted that he's a huge fan of Pant's batting and, most importantly, his fighting spirit.
"Rishabh Pant… I like him because he's just got that attitude. He's not going to run away from a fight. If you ask him to open, he'll open. If you ask him to bat at 5, he'll do it. He is probably not the best gloveman the world has ever seen but he is working on it, getting better at it. He is Gilchrist-like in that regard. I rate him very highly," said Ian Smith while talking to talkSPORT Cricket.
The 26-year-old has been great in all the formats, especially in the red-ball cricket. He did justice to the format by smashing a mind-bowling century against Bangladesh in the 1st Test match. Pant returned to red-ball cricket after 20 months and announced his arrival in great style. This is the reason why everybody respects and looks highly of the young lad.
How mentally strong must that boy be? - Wasim Akram
Former Pakistan legendary cricketer Wasim Akram spoke about Rishabh Pant and his mental strength after his successful comeback in Test cricket. After the accident, Pant wasn't able to walk, and from there, the player has risen to score a century, which is an inspirational journey. The level of respect for the young man increases when his journey is discussed.
He made his cricket comeback in the IPL and then played in the T20 World Cup, where his performance was phenomenal. Now, he came back to Test cricket and did wonders. Pant's contributions will be extremely valuable to India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy as the Men in Blue will travel to Australia in November.
"Especially what he has been through in that horrific accident, coming back from that, how mentally strong must that boy be? That’s a story to be told for generations and generations, in my opinion, to motivate young people of the world. You can come back the way Pant did," said Wasim Akram.