Rishabh Pant, the Indian-wicketkeeper batsmen surprised everyone when he stepped up to bowl in the final over the match. The inaugural season of Delhi Premier League (DPL) is underway and Pant played the opening match as the captain of Purani Dilli 6.
Pant is known for his explosive batting and super quick wicketkeeping, but this was the first time ever that he decided to take the ball. With the South Delhi Superstarz requiring just one run to win, Pant’s over had little impact on the match’s result, as the Superstarz secured victory with the first ball. Nevertheless, Pant’s rare appearance with the ball captured significant attention from fans and commentators.
Rishabh Pant in the ‘Gautam Gambhir Era’
Fans couldn’t resist but connect this move with the recent appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the head coach for Team India. Under Gambhir’s influence Indian batters have unexpectedly bowled at significant times during the bi-lateral tour against Sri Lanka earlier this month. The video of Rishabh Pant surfaced online and left fans surprised.
The tour that marked the beginning of Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach revealed an unexpected trend. Throughout the T20I and ODI series, several key batsmen, including Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, and even captain Rohit Sharma, were seen bowling.
During a pre-match press conference, interim bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule highlighted the value of having part-time bowlers on the team. This idea gained traction with fans when Rishabh Pant surprised everyone by taking up the ball in the DPL 2024 opener. Fans called it as the ‘Gautam Gambhir Era’
Pant, who appeared slightly out of form with the bat in the league opener, scored 35 from 32 balls. At 25, the wicketkeeper-batter made a notable comeback in cricket during the 2024 Indian Premier League and was crucial as India’s No. 3 batter in their T20 World Cup victory in June. Despite being named in India’s squads for the subsequent T20I and ODI series, Pant participated in only three of the six matches.
