No domestic cricket coach in India has shaped over a dozen international cricketers than Tarak Sinha. One of the most underrated coaches in Indian cricket, Sinha’s latest contribution is playing a crucial role in the emergence of Rishabh Pant.
“Pant has always been mentally very strong. He came from Roorkee to Delhi and always wanted to be the best player he could. That determination on his face was always there to see. Cricket is all about your will-power. Even if you are lacking in skills or having some technical deficiency, if you have a strong willpower you can overcome most challenges. I always felt that if Pant was given a good run, he would prove himself no matter what the format is” he said in an interview to cricketnext.com.
Prior to the Australia tour of 2020-21, Pant was always under pressure. Sinha recalled, what he tell him during his tough phase to keep him motivated.
As a coach, my job was always to hold a mirror to him. To tell him where he was lacking, what he needed to do, to help him figure out himself through my inputs. And, he has always been honest in searching for those answers. My job was to just help him a little bit here and there. One thing I always kept saying that apne ko mazboot banaye rakh (Be strong no matter what is the situation.) Yes, there was a fitness issue which was blown out of proportions because you need to remember that last year, during the lockdown, he was in Roorkee and there was not much he could do outside. He couldn’t go out for training and there were just limited equipment. The home-made food by his mother may have played its part in him being slightly overweight. And, he paid a big price for that. He lost his place in the team but came back strongly because of his willpower” he added.
Now, Sunil Gavaskar is suggesting that Pant could be the future India captain. Sinha opined on this saying:
“It’s little too early to say that. Pant has to establish himself first more as a player. If you look at the iconic players like Dhoni and Virat Kohli, they had to do a lot before they got the captaincy. Similarly, Pant needs to grow as a player and then in future selectors can think about those things. He has done reasonably well for Delhi Capitals in IPL this year and has led Delhi Ranji team to final as well in the past. Not that he is intimidated by additional responsibility but as of now he is a kid and, still a long way to go before he can be seen as India captaincy material.”
