India vs SA 2022: Rishabh Pant REVEALS how he became wicket-keeper due to his father

Rishabh Pant said he wanted to be called wicketkeeper-batter. The youngster is currently in Delhi with Team India as the five-match T20I series against South Africa begins on June 9 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Team India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant (Source: Twitter)

Star Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant is feeling relaxed after the Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to remove restrictions imposed on players and decided to conduct the upcoming series between India and South Africa without bio-bubbles.

This move came after a drastic reduction in cases all over the country. The wicketkeeper-batter is currently in Delhi with Team India as the five-match T20I series against South Africa begins on June 9 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

"Getting out of the bio-bubble is really very satisfying. And hopefully, there are no more bio-bubble things, so I'm enjoying the time out now as we have gone through so much.

"When you keep on playing throughout the year, especially with the kind of pressure it is important to relax your mind. If you can't refresh your mind, you won't be giving your hundred percent. We need to keep working on our mind and keep refreshing," Pant told SG Cricket Podcast.

18-member #TeamIndia squad for the upcoming five-match Paytm T20I home series against South Africa.#INDvSA @Paytm pic.twitter.com/tK90uEcMov

— BCCI (@BCCI) May 22, 2022

Father was wicket-keeper

When asked about his strength, Pant said he wanted to be called wicketkeeper-batter.

"I always try to give my hundred percent whenever I come on field, but I was always a wicket-keeper-batsman. Because as a kid I started keeping, as my father was also a wicket-keeper. That's how I started doing wicketkeeping," the young cricketer said.

Notably, Pant’s father Rajendra Pant passed away at the age of 53 at his home in Roorkee in 2017. He died in his sleep because of a cardiac arrest.

India vs South Africa T20I series

After two months of IPL 2022 action, India will be back on the road to ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia later in the year when they will be up against South Africa in a five-match T20I series starting from Thursday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

The first match of the series will act as a platform for the hosts to convert their 12-0 winning streak in T20Is into 13, a record in the format. But the series won't be a stroll in the park for the KL Rahul-led side, which is missing players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Chahar.

The Proteas, led by Temba Bavuma, are playing on their full strength and with them losing a T20I match to India just once across previous two bilateral fixtures, India will be fully aware that the visitors cannot be taken lightly.