‘Give them what they want till the time they take what you give’ – R Sridhar reveals his coaching philosophy for Rishabh Pant

R Sridhar and Rishabh Pant. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Rishabh Pant burst out onto the scene with his IPL exploits and the wicketkeeper-batter was included in the Indian squad for the T20I series against England in 2017. The southpaw played some impressive knocks, especially in red-ball cricket, with the Gabba Test in 2021 being one of his most vivdly remembered and historical innings. But, former fielding coach, R Sridhar has stated that Pant was a tough nut to crack.

Sridhar was the fielding coach from 2014 to 2021 and he was around when Pant made his international debut. Speaking of his tactics while dealing with athletes like Pant, Sridhar quipped that it is feasible to follow a “less is more” approach than a “more is less” approach.

“There’s another coaching theory. Give them what they want, till the time they take what you give. I started changing my style of coaching. Usually more is less, but with an athlete like Rishabh, less is more. At that level, at a very elite level, more often than not, less is more, especially when it comes to the technical side of it. They know; there are geniuses, they are champions,” Sridhar said on ‘Anubhav Talks’.

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“I had to course correct somewhere midway. I said no, with this boy, ‘less’ is the way to go about it. Then I made myself redundant and that is when the trick happened and we connected. The next 18 months were great fun with such a wonderful, exuberant and energetic athlete. I am so happy that he is back [after the 2022 car accident] and playing. It’s a better version; he is wiser,” he added.

After a life-threatening car accident in 2022, Pant was back on the field during IPL 2024 for Delhi Capitals. He walked straightaway into the Indian team’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 and played some crucial knocks against Pakistan and Afghanistan during the league stages. He will feature in the upcoming Duleep Trophy and will mark his first professional red-ball appearance.