Gautam Gambhir's Dressing Room-Shaking Speech Goes Viral, India Star Lauded For Inspiring Act

NDTV

7 days ago

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir hailed Rishabh Pant for his steely half-century despite an injured foot, saying that he has "inspired the next generation and created a legacy for himself", which is marked by resilience, bravery and putting the eam first. Pant, though unwillingly, has to bow out of the ongoing Test series against England due to a foot injury, with Tamil Nadu's Narayan Jagadeesan as his replacement. His last gift to the team before being forced to part ways due to injury was a valuable half-century, which he scored despite his injury and added some valuable runs to the first innings total of 358 runs.
Speaking in a video by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Gambhir said, "The foundation of this test team will be based on what Rishabh has done for the team. I hate talking about individuals; I have never spoken about individuals in a team sport. You have not only inspired this dressing room, but you have inspired the next generation."
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"This is what you have done, and that is a legacy which you have created for yourself and everyone in this dressing room. So very, very well done from everyone. And the country will always be proud of you," he added.
Pant said that his move to bat was a gesture from his side to do whatever it takes to make his team win, and he was not thinking about any personal goals.
"It has been amazing the way they have backed me. The team is under pressure, everything is there, but when the whole country stands behind you for the same cause, that is something, that emotion is difficult to explain. How proud I feel to represent my country. The only message I am going to give my team is, Let us win it, guys. Let us do it for the country," he added.
All-rounder Washington Sundar also noted how swollen Pant's foot was and called him a "son of the country".
"It is very difficult to even put in the feeling that he would be going through in words because he has fractured his toe, and he is in pain no matter what. I even saw his foot; it was swollen badly. So I think for him to even walk around actually takes a lot, but he did a lot more than that. I think the whole country is proud of him, and he is just the son of a country, I would say," he added.
Pant finished the series as the second-highest run-getter currently, with 479 runs in four matches and seven innings at an average of 68.42, with two centuries and three fifties, and runs scored at a strike rate of over 77. His best score is 134, and he scored twin tons at Leeds, becoming the first Indian to do so in a Test.
He broke several records during the series, establishing his reputation as the best wicketkeeper-batter among all Asians, especially in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia (SENA) nations. He also overtook his predecessor, MS Dhoni, for most Test tons by an Indian wicketkeeper, sealing his legacy as an all-time great already.