The Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant has provided a warning ahead of the two-match test series against Bangladesh and also said that they want to play with the same intensity.
He also mentioned the need for India to keep improving themselves to stay ahead of the competition. Bangladesh who recently secured a history win against Pakistan 2-0 at Rawalpindi, will be facing Rohit Sharma-led side in the first test at Chennai starting on September 19.
India has a total of 10 tests in the home season 2024-25 starting with the Bangladesh series, followed by three tests against New Zealand and five tests Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
“Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka perform well in Asian conditions because they are accustomed to the wickets,” Pant told Jio Cinema.
“As the Indian cricket team, we focus solely on our own standards and how we can improve. Regardless of the opposition, we strive to play with the same intensity and give our 100 percent every single day,” he said.
Rishabh Pant stated that no series can be taken lightly with the margins between the teams decreasing in international cricket.
“Pressure will always be there because, in international cricket, you can’t take any series lightly. The margin between winning and losing is very small, and nowadays, the gap between international teams isn’t much either,” he said.
Pant said playing in the Duleep Trophy matches got underway here at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and at Anantapur on Thursday.
“It is very important for us to play domestic cricket because as a cricketer, match practice is always very important,” he said.
“Especially coming back to domestic cricket, the youngsters also learn a lot of things from us — they see you playing here even after playing international cricket. There is a lot to give back to domestic cricket.”
“It also gives us the opportunity to share all the learning and experiences from international cricket with our colleagues, especially with the young players and newcomers; it gives them a huge boost since we all have reached here from playing domestic cricket,” Pant added.
Pant who plays for Team B in the Duleep Trophy said he is looking forward to playing in domestic cricket as this will be his first red-ball game after his car accident in December 2022.
“It is an amazing feeling for me, also because when I met with the accident two years ago, I used to always think about when I will be able to play for India again,” he said.
“In the last six months, I (have) played IPL and we (have) also won the World Cup. It’s a great feeling as I had always dreamt of winning the World Cup since I was a kid,” he concluded.