Indian batsman Rishabh Pant has been named 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 prepares to embark on a new journey in the IPL, Pant reflected on learning from captains.
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 test cricket, Rohit has his own legacy of being one of the best white ball captains in the entire world.
Rishabh Pant underlines players' confidence and fighting spirit after becoming the captain of Lucknow Super Giants
Apart from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the 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 contributions over the years.
As the left-handed batsman is now set to lead a new team, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), in IPL 2025, it was not Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni but Rohit Sharma whose special quality he wants to imbibe in him. own leadership style.
He credited Rohit for teaching him how to really take care of his players, and that was by instilling confidence and trust, because when a captain shows confidence and trust in his team, the players can deliver extraordinary 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 many captains, many of my seniors, because I feel you don't have to learn only from your captain. But it is difficult to be very specific. Rohit Bhai is one. Like with Rohit Bhai, you learn how to look after a player because I feel the same as a captain when I captain a team.”
The newly appointed LSG Commander emphasized that leadership is about learning from everyone around you, not just a captain. Rishabh Pant also stressed the importance of trusting and supporting the players to bring out the best in them and that is how he wants to mold his captaincy.
The Indian wicketkeeper also said, “I feel that if you trust a player, he will do things that you can't even imagine for yourself and the team. And that's the kind of ideology we like to have: we'll support the players, we'll try to give them confidence and we'll have clear communication about what kind of role we want for them. And that's the point.”
Rishabh Pant aims to build a winning culture at Lucknow Super Giants
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant said he wants to instill a “never die” attitude in the Lucknow Super Giants as he believes fighting spirit matters more than performance. The LSG skipper wants to create the kind of character and team culture where players give 20-30% extra even when their bodies feel exhausted in the upcoming IPL 2025.
Rishabh Pant explained further. “One thing is that never-say-die attitude, like fighting to the last ball. And that's something I always stress: performance will come and go. But are you struggling enough? Do you give 100% when you're on the pitch? And that is something you can control as an individual.
Because, you see, everybody gets tired. But in the end, how far are you willing to take it? Are you willing to give that extra 20-30% for the team, even if your body won't allow it? That's the kind of character we want in the team. And that's the kind of culture we're looking to build going forward.”
🚨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