Rishabh Pant reminisces how his hunger to prove himself helped him play the iconic knock at the Gabba

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Mumbai, April 5: Rishabh Pant is one of the youngest captains to lead a team in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman has been leading the Delhi Capitals side since IPL 2021 and this year fans are even backing his side to make it to the playoffs.

Ahead of IPL 2021, the Delhi cricketer replaced an injured Shreyas Iyer and was appointed the regular skipper before the UAE leg of the tournament started. The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter, who joined the franchise in 2016, recently spoke to India woman cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues on his Dream Big story and the tough blows he has had to face on and off the field during the Australia series in 2020-21.

Remembering the iconic Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, Pant shared how he was at the lowest point of his life, having been dropped from two formats and facing criticism over his performance.

"I wasn't talking to anyone, not even family or friends. I needed my own space. I just wanted to give my 200% each and every day."

The left-handed batter described how he had to prove himself and live up to the accolades of being the second-highest scorer for India when he previously played in Australia. But it was a series of back-to-back blows for Pant.

After sitting out of the first practice match due to a bad neck, he suffered an unbearable bruised elbow while batting on day three of the series. With stalwarts like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood, Pant was under tremendous pressure to perform and was unsure if he would be able to salvage the situation while fighting the pain.

"I was just telling myself, there's no choice but to do it. I had to make India win." He went on to play an innings of his lifetime and guided Team India to secure a historic win against in the fourth Test, which was Australia's first defeat at the iconic Gabba in 32 years.

Talking about battling crowd whispers and criticisms to hearing them cheer him on, Pant said, "There was nothing else for me to focus on but my game".

Watch the candid conversation between Rodrigues and Pant exclusively on Dream11's YouTube channel here. Pant-led Delhi Capitals will take on Lucknow Super Giants in their next IPL 2022 encounter on April 7.