Rishabh Pant at 25: An enigmatic generational superstar 

Rishabh Pant 

Rishabh Pant turns 25 today. Pant made his international debut in 2017. His Test debut came a season later in England.

You'd turn around and say, "Yeah, we know all this. It's all over social media today. What's your point?"

What I mean is, it's been just over 5 seasons since Pant broke on the international scene, and he's just turned 25 today. Yet, it feels like he has been playing for India for 25 years.

Pretty sure, I'm not the only one to think that way. And, honestly, we are not to be blamed. Because, just like his batting, Pant's career so far has been nothing short of an event. It has been a perfect potboiler filled with a twist at every turn leaving everyone, baffled, and quite frankly, wanting for more.

Rishabh Pant's international journey- A never-ending rollercoaster

Pant has represented India 119 times since making debut in 2017, and over the course of these five years, he has seen everything. He has seen peak stardom in Tests courtesy of his exploits against Australia, England, South Africa, and pretty much everyone at home.

At the same time, he has seen prolonged phases of wilderness thanks to his consistent (and baffling) returns in T20 cricket, his explosive approach which pushes it to the extreme at times, and constant comparisons with MS Dhoni with regards to his keeping skills during the first 3 years of his career.

At 25, Pant has gone from missing out on playing an ATG ODI knockout innings in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals to hitting the winning runs at the Gabba to seal a historic series win in Australia.

At 25, Pant has gone from being brutally criticised, mocked for his style-of-play to being hailed for it when it came out right.

At 25, he has gone from hearing fans ask 'Why not Rishabh?' after he was dropped from the 2020 Adelaide Test to them saying 'Why Pant?' when the southpaw was recently picked in the T20 World Cup squad.

Yet each time, we have seen Pant stage a renaissance. 

And, to be honest, that's a perfect reflection of the way he bats.

Pant's batting is not only about hitting every ball out of the stadium. Though, to be honest, he does give that impression when his shots don't come off.

But, if one scratches deeper, he/she will observe immense sense of calm whenever he has played well in seaming conditions.

That's perhaps because of the immense self-belief Pant has in himself, and this is the main reason why it won't be a surprise he stages a redemption in the T20 format at the World Cup.

At 25, Pant already has an immortal legacy in Tests. His ODI game in the last 2 years has been as good as it has ever been. Amid all this, his T20I future is hanging by a bare thread. A perfect summarisation of the enigma that is Rishabh Pant you will not find.

Also Read: Eoin Morgan developed England's T20 flavour: PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja