At 21, Rishab Pant, the boy from Uttarakhand, may have already become the symbol of T20 cricket, exemplifying all that is good, bad and ugly about this manic form of cricket sweeping across India in the form of IPL these days. Watching him score a hundred full of gravity-defying strokes, this young man was perhaps a rude reminder to all traditionalists that time is moving on much faster than we can imagine.
His innings, fashioned with strokes that commentators may be struggling to describe and put a name to, was simply incredulous in its conception and execution. It just stood out for the novelty of the strokes created, none more jaw-dropping than yorker length deliveries being scooped over third-man region for fours and even a six! For once, even a hardcore sceptic got mesmerized by this fearless defiance of batting’s basic foundations. Even in a format favourable for batsmen to be inventive against bowlers chained by adverse conditions, it seemed a new language was being created by the daring and devilry of a youngster.
Extravagant talk that deifies mediocrity and hyperbole are the new normal when it comes to commentators describing IPL action. Every stroke hit is described as a brave act of rare courage, even if the ground is being soaked with fours and sixes. T20 cricket is all about batsmen with license to thrill, if not kill. Given the conditions that overwhelmingly favour the batting side, it is no wonder that strike rates regularly cross 200 and a run-a-ball innings is considered too slow.
In this deluge of breathless talk and non-stop smashing of the ball, it is never going to be easy, even for a genuine talent-spotter, to figure out which player is good or bad. They all appear clones of each other, striking the ball as if programmed like a robot and more often than not hitting strokes that make a mockery of traditional grammar, much to the delight of the spectators. The bowlers, in these encounters, to quote Shakespeare, are “like flies to the wanton boys, they kill us for their sport.”
Watching these encounters can be a painful exercise, if you don’t flow with the loud, garish, in-your-face rhythm of the game and don’t keep tab of run rates and asking rates. Those who fill the stadiums and millions who get glued to the screen, may find it hard to believe that there is a vast number out there bemoaning the death of cricket’s real skills that can only be displayed over a period of time, just like a delicious dish that needs time, care and attention to cook.
For this instant gratification that the crowd is getting intoxicated by — and like all addictions the thirst for more keeps multiplying — the likes of Pant should be a boon. He has already played in the limited-over format for India and has, surprisingly, been discarded. His constant display should have fetched him a recall as some of the other players did find themselves in the team on the strength of their performance in the IPL.
How good is Pant? Is it possible to replicate these strokes in longer formats and in more demanding conditions? Hard to say, though his IPL performance may not be a fluke as he has scored a 48-ball century and a triple hundred in Ranji Trophy. Supplementing batting are his wicketkeeping skills and post Dhoni, he could well be the replacement India would be seeking.