Exclusive – IPL 2022: From cooking Maggi to leading DC, Sakshi reveals brother Rishabh Pant’s amazing journey

In an exclusive interview, Sakshi, Rishabh Pant’s elder sister takes us down the memory lane. She gives some anecdotes about Rishabh’s inspiring journey and their beautiful relationship.

There is an age difference of two years between both of you, how was your relationship while you were kids? And how is it different now?

Since there was an age gap of just two years, he never used to address me as ‘didi’ and I always wanted him to revere me like that. Our bond has never changed. It’s just that he has gotten busier than earlier, but we still share all the secrets as we used to when we were young.

What is your favourite childhood memory with Rishabh?

We both are Maggi lovers. Since we were involved in sports, our parents had set a rule that we can have junk food only on the weekends. But we used to cook Maggi in the absence of our parents. He used to cook soupy noodles for himself and I used to make dry Maggi for myself. And then we both exchanged a little portion of the noodles made by each other and always used to make sure that we divide it equally so that no one gets more than the other person.

What made Rishabh pursue cricket? Is there any specific incident?

My father used to play cricket at the university level and was a big cricket fan. It was his dream to see his child play cricket for the nation. I was more into basketball and didn’t play cricket much. But Rishabh developed an interest in cricket at a very young age and then he started practising and liking the game more. And eventually was successful in fulfilling our father’s dream.

What were the struggles that you all as a family went through during his cricket journey?

I believe that when your family is there for you, it is more of a journey together and not a struggle. However, we missed a lot of family time during this journey, but now when I look back I feel proud of him and it was all worth it.

What was your family’s reaction when he got selected to play for India?

I was pursuing MBA at Dehradun at that time and my family was in Roorkee. As soon as our father got the news, he called me and said, “You are coming here right now, I am sending a fax to your warden for a leave.” And then I was there at home on the same day. Our parents started distributing sweets to everyone. And the house was flooded with relatives and friends and we all were extremely happy. There were hugs and smiles everywhere.

On the field, we have always seen a funny side of Rishabh, how is he at home?

I have seen him doing commentary since childhood. He has two sides, sometimes he likes to be quiet and all the other times it gets difficult to stop his mischiefs.

Coming back to my previous question, which is your favourite behind the stumps commentary of Rishabh?

My friends showed me a video of him singing ‘Spider-Man, Spider-Man, tune churaya mere dil ka chain’. I laughed a lot at that but I wasn’t surprised at all because that’s how he is!

You have seen him play for Team India and now as a captain of Delhi Capitals, what are the changes that you have observed in him as a cricketer?

I have seen many positive changes in him over the years, not only as a cricketer but also as a person. He has become more mature and hard-working. His decision-making skill has also improved.

When everyone was chanting MS Dhoni’s name when Rishabh dropped a catch in Mohali, what did you feel and what did you talk to him about it?

We already knew that there are going to be comparisons and according to me if there are comparisons it means you are doing something good to deserve being compared. 

We don’t discuss dismay in the matches. So I didn’t talk to him about the incident, but I knew he is mature enough to handle it.

.

Which is the one thing that you like about Rishabh and a thing which annoys you the most about him?

What I like about him is that he pampers me a lot. And he is always there for me no matter how busy he is. The thing which annoys me the most about him is that he never leaves a chance to make fun of me, he teases me a lot.

According to you, if not a cricketer, what could have been his alternative profession? 

If not a cricketer, I think he would have either been a footballer or a gymnast. 

When you both are together, how do you spend your brother-sister time?

We both are foodies. Whenever we are together we make sure we eat a lot. Our favourite food is paranthas made by our mother. We also talk our hearts out and play board games like Ludo to utilize our quality time. 

How does Rishabh cope with the low points in his career? 

He likes to be left alone for some time. He indulges in self-talk and meditates, which helps him. Whether the times are good or bad, we always have his back.