Team India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant uninstalled WhatsApp and switched off his phone after facing criticism for his rash shot selection during the Melbourne Test against Australia. According to a Times of India report, Pant acknowledged his mistakes and decided to distance himself from distractions.

Rishabh Pant faced heavy criticism for a reckless shot he played in the Melbourne Test in the Australia tour. He attempted a risky ramp shot in the first innings. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed Pant live on air, calling the shot “stupid.” Gavaskar’s “stupid, stupid, stupid” remark went viral.

Rishabh Pant Uninstalled WhatsApp, Turned Off Phone After Melbourne Test

According to a report in the Times of India, Rishabh Pant took steps to reset himself following criticism for his reckless shot selection in Australia.

Pant was part of India’s squad for the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, where he did not feature in any of the matches. India, led by Rohit Sharma, won the tournament by defeating New Zealand in the final clash in Dubai in March.

In response to the criticism, Pant decided to make lifestyle changes. As reported by the Times of India, he uninstalled WhatsApp in March 2025 and kept his phone switched off most of the time, using it only when necessary to contact someone.

Rishabh Pant Becomes Only Second Wicketkeeper in Test History to Score Twin Centuries

Rishabh Pant had a lacklustre IPL 2025 campaign, where he led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He failed to cross 300 runs for the season despite scoring a century in the final league match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

However, Pant made a remarkable impact in the first Test against England at Headingley. He smashed centuries in both innings with scores of 134 and 118. Pant became the second wicketkeeper in Test history to achieve twin centuries in a single match, but India lost the match by five wickets.

The Indian vice-captain now holds the record for the most Test hundreds by a designated Indian wicketkeeper, surpassing MS Dhoni’s tally of six. Pant is at the top of the list, ahead of Dhoni and Wriddhiman Saha, who scored three in his career.

He Did the Most Intense Sessions Day In and Day Out – Sohum Desai

Former India strength and conditioning coach Sohum Desai shared that Rishabh Pant committed himself to an intense fitness regimen. Desai recalled that Pant showed no concern for fatigue or scheduled rest periods.

“He did the most intense sessions day in and day out. He dragged me into the gym whenever he was free. He didn’t care about fatigue or work-loaded programmes. All he said was he needed to keep working on himself. On the day of the final, he came to me with some kind of guilt in his mind and asked if he could take the day off. I said it was high time that he did,” Desai told Times of India.

“Pant has so much reserve that he will be fine for at least a year without having to do anything extraordinary. That’s why you see him moving around so well despite scoring two hundreds and keeping wickets for so long in the Headingley Test.

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