"Stump mic se zyada sunai deta hai" - Rishabh Pant on talking to himself while batting in ENG vs IND 2025 Test series  

Team India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant has said that his habit of talking to himself while batting is nothing new. He explained that his comments are going viral now because they are heard on the stump mic.

Pant has been in excellent form in the ongoing Test series in England. He hammered hundreds in both innings of the first Test at Headingley and followed it up with a crucial half-century at Edgbaston. Apart from his batting exploits, the southpaw has also grabbed attention for his habit of talking to himself while batting - his comments being audible due to the stump mic.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of the Lord's Test, which starts on Thursday, July 10, Pant shed some light about his routine of speaking to himself while at the batting crease. He explained:

"The general idea is to keep talking to yourself as a batsman. Hamesha se hi bada hota hai, but stump mic se zyada sunai deta hai, toh aap logon ko thoda zyada pata ho jata hai (It has always been like that only, but because of the stump mic you guys get to hear a lot more now).

"As a batsman, I am doing the same thing that I used to do as a kid. My coach late Tarak Sinha sir used to tell me - keep talking to yourself. I still try to do the same things he taught me," the 27-year-old went on to add.

Pant created history in Leeds, becoming the first Indian keeper-batter to hammer centuries in both innings of a Test match. He scored 134 in the first innings and 118 in the second. The left-hander contributed 25 and 65 at Edgbaston.

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"You have to make your own plans" - Rishabh Pant on batting mindset

What has stood out about Pant's batting in the ongoing Test series in England, which has also been the case for the majority of his red-ball career, has been his uncomplicated approach to batting. Asked how he manages to pull it off, the aggressive keeper-batter explained:

"I try to have a very clear mindset when I am batting - just play one ball at a time. That is what has really helped me. I do have an idea, what the other team wants me to do. But, eventually you have to have that self-discipline - how you are going to counter it. You have to make your own plans and just play the game."

Pant has so far featured in 45 Test matches and has scored 3,290 runs at an average of 44.45 and a strike rate of 74.40, with eight hundreds and 16 fifties.