Updated on: Sept 07, 2025 09:31 pm IST
A former India batting coach revealed ‘Ashish Nehra’s early assessment’ for Rishabh Pant, when he had just started playing in the IPL.
Rishabh Pant is considered to be among the most entertaining batters in modern-day cricket. The 27-year-old is known for his attacking approach against both pacers and spinners. Watching him go down the track against pacers and slamming them for boundaries has been a regular mainstay in international and IPL matches.
Pant’s introduction in IPL 2016 labelled him as an exciting talent, and he has delivered it with match-winning knocks.
Sanjay Bangar reveals ‘Ashish Nehra’s assessment’
Speaking to Doordarshan Sports, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar revealed an interesting conversation with former India and Delhi cricketer Ashish Nehra, who predicted Pant’s future. Bangar claimed that Nehra felt that Pant would ‘progress very quickly and is a naturally gifted batter’.
Nehra also pointed out Pant’s ‘fearless’ playing style, and he would ask ‘bowlers to bowl quickly and attack his body’ in the nets. Nehra’s remark came during Pant’s early days, when he had just begun playing in the IPL.
“I had heard from Ashish Nehra that Rishabh is a very good player who’s going to progress very quickly. He is a naturally gifted batter. But, he’s also very fearless. I saw the first sign of his fearlessness in the nets itself. He used to tell the bowlers to bowl quickly and attack his body. Very few batters have had this mindset. He had just begun playing the IPL back then. So Nehra’s assessment was correct. After a long time, we’ve found a wicketkeeper who can bat in the top-5,” he said.
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test retirements, Pant was named vice-captain in red-ball cricket for India. He also captains Lucknow Super Giants at the IPL. He became the most expensive player in IPL history when LSG purchased him for ₹27 crore in the 2025 auction. He was part of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy.
