Rishabh Pant Aims to Recharge Before England Series After IPL Disappointment

Rishabh Pant's Plans Post-IPL

Lucknow Super Giants' captain, Rishabh Pant, expressed his desire to take a break from cricket for a few days to reset his mindset ahead of the upcoming series against England. Following a narrow six-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Lucknow's IPL 2025 journey concluded on a disappointing note, finishing with five wins from eight matches but only one victory in their last six games, eliminating them from playoff contention.

On a personal front, Pant rediscovered his form just in time for India's challenging five-Test tour of England. He will be stepping in as the vice-captain to Shubman Gill during this crucial series, which is pivotal for India's aspirations in the World Test Championship 2025-2027.

As the series is set to commence on June 20 at Headingley, Pant shared his thoughts on preparing for the demanding Test summer. He stated, "There are many areas we need to discuss and improve, but with the season just wrapping up, I want to take a few days off from cricket and then focus on the upcoming England series with a fresh mindset."

Before his standout performance of 118* off 61 balls in the tournament, Pant struggled to find his rhythm, accumulating only 151 runs at a disappointing average of 13.72 and a strike rate of just 100.

Pant believed that runs were imminent, but luck was not on his side. He emphasized the importance of capitalizing on good starts, saying, "I felt good in each match, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Today, I ensured that if I got off to a good start, I would convert it into a big score, as all seasoned players do, learning from the best. Whenever you get a start, aim to make it substantial."

He also mentioned his strategy during the innings, focusing on the field placements and the bowlers' tactics. "I played each ball with the same intensity and kept it simple, looking for gaps and playing through the line," he added.

In the match, RCB achieved the third-highest chase in IPL history, led by stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma's impressive 85*, supported by contributions from Virat Kohli (54), Mayank Agarwal (41*), and Phil Salt (30).