"Playing as a sledger boy!" - 3 instances when Rishabh Pant's banter with opposition cricketers stole the headlines

Team India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant is one of the most enigmatic hitters of the ball and a pure entertainer in cricket.

Besides his swashbuckling batting, Pant is renowned for his banter from behind the stumps. Since making his international debut in 2017, the Delhi-born cricketer has engaged in several verbal back-and-forths with his sharp tongue.

Believing that banter helps in keeping players engaged and it being a wicket-keeper's role over the years, Pant has embraced the fun-filled duty quite perfectly.

Knowing the distinction between serious sledging and healthy banter, Pant has been quite witty in several occasions with his banter.

Here are some of the instances where he engaged in banter with the opposition players:

#1 Rishabh Pant vs Rassie van der Dussen - India vs South Africa 2nd Test, 3-6 January 2022

Rishabh Pant and van der Dussen had a constant back and forth in the second Test at Johannesburg

Rishabh Pant and South Africa's Rassie van der Dussen were constantly on their toes over the course of the second Test in Johannesburg earlier this year. Tensions began to flare when the Proteas batter received a life-line in the first innings with the Indian wicket-keeper's take behind the wicket not having conclusive evidence.

Things escalated in the second innings when van der Dussen was placed at short-leg against the left-handed batter. The 33-year-old constantly fired shots at the wicket-keeper batter, who urged the fielder to remain quiet. However, the damage was already done as the Delhi-born player went for a huge hit, only to be dismissed for a three-ball duck.

When van der Dussen came out to bat with the hosts chasing 240 to level the series, Pant repaid the favor. The wicket-keeper engaged in non-stop commentary from behind the stumps.

Pant claimed that van der Dussen could only score off edges and even mocked him by saying,

"Playing at No.4, but has no idea about the batting guard. Playing as a sledger boy".

#2 Rishabh Pant vs Matthew Wade - Australia vs India, Second Test, Dec 26-30

Matthew Wade was sick of Rishabh Pant's antics behind the wicket in Melbourne

India's campaigns against Australia have always been a source of iconic moments over the years. In the most recent edition of the Border-Gavaskar trophy, India not only stood tall with their performances, but with their attitudes as well.

Coming on the back of a painful loss at Adelaide, expectations were low from the Indian team devoid of Virat Kohli. However, he epitomized the new-look team with a battle of wits against Matthew Wade.

He sowed the seeds by making random noises behind the stumps which irked the Australian wicket-keeper batter. The 24-year-old kept chirping away, clearly breaking Wade's concentration in a crucial phase of the day's play.

Irritated with his antics, Wade responded by taking a swipe at his Indian compatriot's weight. However, it was the Indian wicket-keeper who had the last laugh as Wade's wicket opened the floodgates, where Australia collapsed from 98-3 to 200 all out in the second innings.

#3 Rishabh Pant vs Tim Paine - Australia vs India - 3rd Test - Dec 26-30

Rishabh Pant and Tim Pane had a banter exchange for the ages

In a banter exchange that will arguably go down in the history books, Rishabh Pant and Tim Paine went at it throughout the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar series.

The then-Australian Test captain took the first shot by taking a sly dig at the Indian youngster for not getting selected for the ODI series against Australia and New Zealand. The Indian wicket-keeper repaid the favor when he eventually got behind the wickets

He retorted by taking a swipe at Paine's captaincy status and poor form. He made comments by branding Paine as a "temporary captain." The 24-year-old remarked:

“Have you ever heard of temporary captain, I am seeing one,” as soon as Paine took guard in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test.

The flamboyant cricketer also took a card out of street cricket, mocking Paine by asking the Indian bowlers not to take his wicket. The Indian wicket-keeper had the last laugh as India emerged as the series winners by a 2-1 margin.