Rishabh Pant torments Kent neighborhood, smacks sixes into balconies, lawns and windows
Rishabh Pant looks like he is in good batting form, and showcased it to perfect during a recent training session at the Kent County Ground. India are set to face England in a five-match Test series starting on June 20.
During the session, Pant showcased his shot selection with massive sixes, which not only cleared the boundary ropes, but also crashed into rooftops, balconies and front yards of nearby government buildings.
Speaking to the media, a nearby resident said, 'This is the kind of tale you usually hear in Indian mohallas, kids breaking windows with tennis ball sixes. Only difference is, this time it's not kids. It's Rishabh Pant.'
In one incident, a ball was seen hanging from a balcony shade. Due to local protocal, Indian support staff can't casually step into premises to retrieve the balls. Special permission was required and a turbaned official reportedly sought access befere going to retrieve the ball from quarters.
Pant is also the new Indian Test vice-captain, with Shubman Gill appointed as skipper. The upcoming series will see a new generation take over, with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin having already announced their Test retirements.
Speaking on Pant's appointment, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said, 'Pant is one of our best batters in Test cricket over the last four-five years. A wicketkeeper can see the game well and that's why he is Shubman's deputy.'
Pant had a disappointing IPL 2025 season, where he captained LSG, leading them to a measly seventh-placed finish.
Giving his verdict on LSG's season, he recently said, 'Eventually, you have to play 40 overs of good cricket, 20 overs will definitely not save you in a T20 game, and that's been our story.'
'There were lot of injury concerns before the tournament, you can see that that is something that hurt us going through the season,' he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Tilak Varma puts his hand up for Test selection
Tilak Varma(Photo by) Hyderabad: Three summers ago, the now-19-year-old Thakur Tilak Varma caught the attention of cricketing world when Rohit Sharma rated the youngster as a future 'three-format player for India'. A year later in 2023, he went on to make his debut for India in T20Is and ODIs. But his Test debut still remains a dream. Having not made the India 'A' squad currently in England, the 22-year-old Hyderabad cricketer is determined to hone his red-ball prowess with a county stint at Hampshire this English summer. 'I'm a bit disappointed for not getting picked in the India 'A' team. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The team management must have had different plans. But I want to play for India in Tests. To play for Hampshire county is a great opportunity to prove myself and also improve my game,' Tilak told TOI. Tilak has played four ODIs and 25 T20Is, a format in which he is a India regular. 'Cricketers Aren't Cattle... ': Harish Thawani on the IPL and Business of Indian Cricket In 18 first-class matches, he has 1,204 runs with five hundreds. 'I've been looking to get this opportunity for the last three years. But because of the international calendar, IPL and the domestic schedule, I could not play county cricket. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Whatever time I get away from the national side, I want to improve my game,' he added. 'I want to be the best player in all three formats. Quiz: Who's that IPL player? A good show in English conditions will help me further my dream of playing Test cricket. This chance has come at the right time. I know I'm a good redball player and I want to prove that.' Tilak cited the case of Karun Nair, who made it to the Indian Test team after seven years in the wilderness because of a good domestic season. 'Whatever chance I get, either domestic or county, I want to prove myself. Karun Nair's story is inspirational for all the aspiring cricketers. He had a good domestic season and returned to the Indian Test team,' he added. Tilak will depart for England on June 16 and is likely to play his first match for Hampshire against Essex beginning June 22.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
New Zealand Star Finn Allen, Who Went Unsold At IPL 2025 Auction, Breaks Chris Gayle's World Record
New Zealand's swashbuckling batter Finn Allen broke multiple records in the opening game of Major League Cricket 2025 - a franchise-based T20 competition in the United States. Playing for San Francisco Unicorns against the Washington Freedom at the Oakland Coliseum on Friday, Allen went berserk and scored 151 runs off just 51 balls. His innings had a strike rate of over 296. The batter slammed five fours and 19 sixes during the terrific knock that was nothing less than a nightmare for the Washington Freedom bowlers. During the knock, Allen broke the record for the fastest 150 in T20 cricket. He reached the milestone in 49 balls. The right-handed batter smashed his ton in 34 balls, which turned out to be the fastest T20 hundred by a Kiwi batter and also the quickest in the tournament's history. Allen also broke the record of Chris Gayle and Estonia's Sahil Chauhan by hitting the most sixes in a men's T20 innings. While Gayle and Chauhan had hit 18 each, Allen surpassed both of them with a tally of 19. Finn Allen's out here breaking recordsHe smashed the fastest century in MLC history for the @SFOUnicorns! — Cognizant Major League Cricket (@MLCricket) June 13, 2025 "Was exciting (on making the fastest hundred in MLC history), off to a good start, found the boundaries regularly, we had a few partnerships and got a good score on the board. The boundaries are fairly decent," said the Kiwi batter after his fiery knock. Interestingly, just six months ago, Allen found no bidders at the Indian Premier League auction table. With a base price of Rs 2 crore, the New Zealand batter went unsold in IPL 2025 action that was held in November last year. In the same auction, India's wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant became the costliest player in the tournament's history. He was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 27 crore. Following him was Shreyas Iyer, who was signed by Punjab Kings for a whopping sum of Rs 26.75 crore. The bidding war also saw Venkatesh Iyer being retained by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 23.75 crore.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Delhi Open Chess: Mihail Nikitenko joins Abhijeet Gupta at top after Round 8
Belarusian Grandmaster Mihail Nikitenko pulled level with India's Abhijeet Gupta at the top of the standings after the eighth round of the 21st Delhi International Open Chess Tournament at Tivoli Gardens, Chattarpur, on Thursday. Nikitenko defeated Georgia's Luka Paichadze while overnight leader Gupta was held to a draw by Armenia's Manuel Petrosyan. With just two rounds remaining, both Gupta and Nikitenko have 7 points each and will face each other in Friday's penultimate round of the Category A section. A tightly bunched chasing pack of 12 players, including seven Indians, remain in contention with 6.5 points. Top seed India's SL Narayanan was held to a draw by compatriot IM Neelash Saha for his third consecutive draw in the tournament after starting with five straight wins. Indian IM Aronyak Ghosh and Swedish GM Vitaly Sivuk settled for a peaceful draw, while GM Diptayan Ghosh beat Russia's Boris Savchenko. Maharashtra's Viresh Sharnarthi is the highest-placed untitled player in the event thus far. The 15-year-old has won six out of eight rounds and sits with 6.5 points, just half a point below the leaders. The tournament's surprise package, untitled 77th-seed Arnav Agarwal from Uttar Pradesh, continued his impressive run. With five wins, two draws, and one loss, the youngster sits joint third with 6 points and has already gained a remarkable 83.6 Elo rating points from his performance. In Category C, it's an eight-way tie for first place after the day's play, all unbeaten on 5.0 points after five rounds. The highest-rated player in this category, Harsimranjit Singh (1699), has slipped to 79th place after losing one round.
