Boria Majumdar
I was in the Compton Stand recording for my show when Rishabh Pant walked across the ground on his way to the press conference room. Seeing him go past and seeing the message from the Indian media manager that they were indeed on their way, I too started walking towards the press conference venue. I was a few steps behind Rishabh when Trisha asked me if I was ready for the live show. I suggested to her that we should go live straight after the press meet. Rishabh heard me say that and turned towards me with a smile.
“Arre, Boria da,” he started. “In Edgbaston, hum mile the match ke pehle din. India jeeta. Yahan bhi hum mile. Achha hai [At Edgbaston, we had met the day before the game. India won. Here too, we’ve met],” he said with a smile. The conversation turned to Edgbaston and the importance of the Lord’s game. It so happened that I said to him that I’d be leaving after Lord’s, for it was time to go back to Aisha and all the business work that has piled up. Rishabh smiled and said, “You are missing your daughter.” And then went on to add: “Come back before the final Test match. Don’t miss that. It could be historic.”
That was when I looked at him and saw how focussed he looked. He said those words with a degree of conviction and self-belief that was great to see. Ahead of Edgbaston, he had said to me that the team would do everything to level the series, and that’s what they did. Now they know England will come hard, and from the brief interaction with Rishabh, it was apparent that the team wasn’t thinking too far ahead. They are conscious that Edgbaston is now history. Lord’s is the present and they are ready for battle.
The camaraderie between Shubman Gill and Rishabh has been clearly visible and that’s something which augurs very well for India. The captain and vice-captain are continuously backing each other, and it is the kind of positivity that will surely rub off on the rest of the boys. “We are friends on and off the field and that’s where the trust comes from,” said Rishabh at the press conference. “We hope it will help the rest of the boys and we can continue to play as a collective.”
Unlike in Australia, where the team looked disjointed and divided, things are looking very different in England. Whether or not they will win the series, we don’t know. But what we do see is that it is a team. The players have each other’s back, and as Rishabh said, the series could well go down to the wire. India are here to compete and that’s evident. They know it is a series that could set the tone for the new and young team.
Gill, by virtue of what he has done, will be firmly entrenched as leader, and the future of Indian cricket looks secure. Edgbaston has set things up. Can Lord’s help take the process forward? If Rishabh was an index, there is every reason to be hopeful and optimistic. India aren’t here to roll over and that’s something we can say with absolute certainty.
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