Rishabh Pant spoke about teasing and sledging Virat Kohli recently during an IPL match last month.
India wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant recalled a recent incident when he tried to get inside the skin of Virat Kohli during an IPL 2024 match last month. As the Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosted the Delhi Capitals in a crunch game, Pant missed the contest due to a one-match ban that he was serving. But even as Pant wasn’t part of the Playing XI, the DC captain, from the dressing room, tried his best to disturb Kohli while batting.
Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant during India’s training session.(Getty)
In a crucial tie for both teams, RCB and DC collided on May 15 trying to make it to the IPL Playoffs. Having notched up four wins on the bounce, Kohli, as usual, was in red-hot form and well-set en route to getting another big score. After racing to 27 off 13 balls, Kohli was dismissed by his former India and Delhi teammate Ishant Sharma, but while he was still batting, the batter couldn’t help but take note of Pant standing in the change room and being up to his shenanigans to upset Kohli’s rhythm. Pant opened up on the sledging, revealing he started it accidentally. In fact, Kohli was even seen mouthing ‘I’ll hit you. Sit down,” reacting to Pant’s antics.
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“It happened during the RCB game. I was banned without doing anything. I tried a lot to prevent it but it was uncontrollable, not in my hands. Sitting outside I thought I’ll disturb the mindset or something because the RCB dressing room is right behind the sightscreen. At first I did not know. I thought they are calling their own teammates. Then when I realised, I thought I might as well tease him a little more. I didn’t give him the chance to say anything because I escaped,” Pant said on ‘Aap ki Adaalat’.
Pant was suspended for one match and slapped with a fine of INR 30 lakh for maintaining a slow over rate during DC’s match against the Rajasthan Royals. It was DC’s third offence which warrants a match ban. RCB went on to win the match by 47 runs to register their fifth straight win and keep Playoff hopes alive.
Kohli vs Pant in IPL 2018
This wasn’t the first time Pant sledged Kohli in an IPL match. During the 2018 edition of the IPL, Pant, standing behind the wicket, constantly chirped away and got Kohli’s attention in the process. Kohli’s words were picked up by the stump mic. “What are you doing? You realise you’ll soon come back to the dressing room, right?”
Pant also mentioned that he usually takes his permission, which, in turn, he feels helps lift the spirits of the team.
“I actually take his permission and try out. ‘Let me be free during the match. Let me speak what I feel like. Let me feel the energy and I will lift the energy of the team. I say what I feel like. As long as you’re not thinking ill of someone, everything is fine,” added Pant.
Pant’s playful nature has given several iconic stump mic moments, including the epic Tim Paine ‘babysitting’ incident and their back-and-forth verbal duels.
