India’s wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant, shared that the period away from cricket following a serious accident was incredibly challenging for him, as he missed playing the sport. During this time, he found solace in watching The Ashes matches between England and Australia in 2023 in England. Pant particularly enjoyed England’s new counterattacking approach to Test cricket, which is often referred to as ‘BazBall.’ He revealed that Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma sarcastically expressed the desire for India to play a similar aggressive Test style, coining it as ‘RishBall,’ inspired by Pant’s dynamic batting approach. 

In Episode 3 of the ‘Believe’ series by Star Sports, Rishabh Pant reflects on the challenges he faced when he couldn’t play cricket, especially during the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Pant’s team, Delhi Capitals, failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing at the ninth spot on the league’s points table. Pant expressed the difficulty of watching his team play without being able to contribute or participate due to his absence.

Pant Finds Joy In Watching ‘BazBall’

However, Rishabh Pant expressed joy in watching The Ashes series that occurred in England from June 2023 to July 2023. The series featured Australia led by Pat Cummins against England led by Ben Stokes. Pant found delight in England’s style of play (BazBall), as it resonated with his own approach to Test cricket. Rishabh Pant mentioned that Rohit Sharma keeps jokinly emphasising the need for India to adopt the ‘Rishball’ approach. According to Pant, Sharma believes that others should also learn and incorporate this aggressive and dynamic style of play inspired by Pant’s approach to the game.

In Episode 3 of Star Sports’ ‘Believe’ series, Rishabh Pant stated (loosely translating to), “I then watched The Ashes. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it because England started playing in that way. I am already used to this style of playing. Rohit bhai kept saying, ‘We will make ‘RishBall’ too.’ He says, ‘You keep playing like this, and we also need to get others to play like this.”

For the unversed, Pant was driving from Delhi to his hometown Roorkee to meet his family when his car crashed into the median divider on the road in December, 2022. He had just returned from Bangladesh after playing a major role in India’s win in the second Test in Mirpur.