I am just 21, will get mature with time, says Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant had started his 2019 Indian Premier League campaign with a bang as he smashed 78 off 27 deliveries against Mumbai Indians, however, he crossed the 30 run mark only once in the next 12 innings. He did come up with breathtaking knocks in against Rajasthan Royals and as he smashed 78 off 36 in a high scoring affair and then hit a sublime 53 off 38 against the same opposition in a low scoring affair. Despite these fine knocks, he has been inconsistent and has thrown his wickets away in a few crunch games. Pant feels that is still young and will become mature as time grows.

"I take any criticism positively. Finishing matches is important. I will learn to do it consistently. You only learn from your experiences and mistakes. Things don't change overnight. I am just 21. It's difficult to think like a 30-year-old man. In due course, my mind will be stronger and there will be a lot of maturity. You need to give it time,” he expressed, reported TOI.

The swashbuckling batsman was not selected in India’s World Cup squad and was rather named as a standby option despite being the number one choice in Test matches. Nevertheless, the selector MSK Prasad had bizarrely stated that he had missed due to his wicket-keeping abilities which was still in a work in progress. Pant maintained that he is used to such setbacks and tries to keep himself positive.

"It is a setback when you are not selected. I am used to it. But a professional should know how to deal with it. Things will not always be the way you want them to be. When things don't go your way, you need to find a way to keep yourself positive. The important thing is to know how you can move on,” he explained.

"Whatever you learn in your childhood helps you a lot. I had to travel a lot to play and met a lot of people. I didn't get my due easily. There have been certain things for which I was made to push that bit extra. Those things have made me mentally strong," added the Delhi batsman.

The move to select Pant for the Test series in England and Australia was criticized by many but he put an end to those arguments by scoring a century in testing situations on each tour. The youngster reiterated that he puts in a lot of hard work which has enabled him to perform well at the highest level.

"Natural talent sounds nice. But I don't have enough knowledge about what natural talent is and how it can be linked to hard work. I know that if I had to play top-level cricket then it wouldn't come without hard work. I was always told to focus on myself, not think ill of others,” he said.

Pant is currently playing for his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals, who have qualified for the playoffs with nine wins. DC will play the eliminator match at Vizag on May 8 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The southpaw’s contribution will be crucial for the Capitals’ chances and he reckoned that he has all his focus on the cash rich league.   

"Even when I play for India, my aim is to help my team win. It's the same for every team I play for. Aim toh ek hi hain. IPL jeetna. (There's only one aim now. Win the IPL),” he signed off.

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