Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been named as the new captain of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday (January 20). As he gets ready to embark on a new journey in the IPL, Pant reflected on learning from the captaincy.
Rishabh Pant had the honor of playing under Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for India. While Kohli is one of the best captains India has ever seen in all formats, especially in Test cricket, Rohit has his own legacy as one of the best white ball captains in the world.
Rishabh Pant emphasizes the confidence and fighting spirit of the players after becoming the captain of Lucknow Super Giants
Apart from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the wily wicketkeeper has learned a lot from one of the greatest captains of all time, MS Dhoni. Rishabh Pant shares a great bond with the legendary wicketkeeper and even MS Dhoni has helped the youngster with his inputs over the years.
As the left-handed batsman is now set to lead the new team, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), in IPL 2025, it was not Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni, but Rohit Sharma whose one special quality he wants to incorporate into his own leadership style.
He credited Rohit with teaching him how to truly care for his players by instilling confidence and trust, because when a captain shows faith and trust in his team, the players can deliver outstanding performances that exceed expectations.
You want to learn from Rohit Sharma how to take care of a player: Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant was quoted by Revsportz as saying, “Yes, I have learned from a lot of captains, a lot of my senior players, because I feel you don’t have to learn only from your captain. But it’s hard to be very specific. Rohit Bhai is one. Like Rohit Bhai, you learn to take care of the player because I feel the same as the captain when I captain the team.”
The newly appointed LSG captain emphasized that leadership is learning from everyone around you, not just one captain. Rishabh Pant also emphasized the importance of trusting and supporting the players to bring out the best in them, which is how he wants to shape his captaincy.
The Indian wicketkeeper further remarked, “I feel that if you give confidence and trust to a player, he will do things that you can’t even imagine for you and for the team. And that’s the kind of ideology we like to have: we’re going to support the players, we’re going to try to give them confidence and we’re going to have clear communication about what kind of role we want for them. And that’s the idea.”
Rishabh Pant aims to build a winning culture at Lucknow Super Giants
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant said he wants to instill a “never-say-die” attitude in Lucknow Super Giants, as he believes fighting spirit is more important than performance. The LSG captain wants to create a character and a team culture where the players give an extra 20-30%, even when their body feels exhausted in the upcoming IPL 2025.
further explained by Rishabh Pant. “One thing is that never-say-die attitude, like fighting until the last ball. And this is something I always emphasize: the performance will come and go. But are you fighting hard enough? Do you give 100% when you are on the field? And that is something you can control as an individual.
Because, you see, everyone gets tired. But in the end, how far are you willing to go? Are you willing to give an extra 20-30% for the team, even though your body won’t allow it? We want that kind of character in the team. And that’s the kind of culture we want to continue to build.”
🚨Rishabh Pant PC
“With Rohit Bhai, I learned how to take care of every player,” says Rishabh Pant about the captaincy lessons he got from Rohit Sharma.@LucknowIPL @RishabhPant17 @ImRo45 #RishabhPant @debasissen @BoriaMajumdar pic.twitter.com/ACqNijOute
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) January 20, 2025
