Pant is the one guy I’d like to challenge myself against: Brett Lee

Indian wicket-keeper-batter, Rishabh Pant has been making quite a few ripples in the fabric of international cricket where he has taken on bowlers of illustrious repute and treated them with disdain, irrespective of the format of the sport. The southpaw is fearless and is a perfect fit for leading India’s new brand of aggression, especially in the shortest format of the game where he is relentless in his pursuit of those rope-kissing strikes. From the iconic breach of Gabbatoir to taming Old Trafford, the hard-hitting southpaw has been the crux of India’s middle-order aggression.

Getting compliments from others about your craft always blooms a smile on your face but when that compliment comes from the iconic Brett Lee, you know that a few important boxes have been ticked. 

Brett Lee recently opened up about Rishabh Pant in an interview where he rekindled memories of bowling at other Indian icons, featuring the likes of Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, and VVS Laxman. He expressed his wish to bowl at Pant for once and said he wouldn’t mind even if he is being launched to the stands. “I had the pleasure of playing against Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli at the start of his career, (even) Virender Sehwag. I think someone like Rishabh Pant would be very exciting to bowl to," said Lee.

Highlighting the attributes that make Pant an exciting batter to bowl at, Lee added, “He’s pretty nifty, walks around the crease, is very aggressive, and is the one guy I’d like to challenge myself against. I’ve had the pleasure to meet him a few times, and he’s pretty unorthodox, which would make it very hard to bowl him to. He would probably hit me for a six, but that's ok!”

Pant has been on a roll ever since his introduction to the international roster, where he has tamed giants of the sport with his own brand of belligerence, innovation, and the hunger to perform at the biggest stages of all.