Why Rishabh Pant Doesn't Believe In Work-Life Balance: 'Go Crazy...'

Rishabh Pant believes youth is meant for relentless effort, not restraint, and says pushing one’s limits early in life lays the foundation for long-term success. Speaking at an event on Monday, the India wicketkeeper-batter underlined that his journey has been driven by a single obsession: playing for the country and winning matches, with everything else coming later.

“In my mind, I only wanted to play for India, and that was the only dream, just to win matches for India,” Pant said, as quoted by PTI. “The rest, I feel, is a by-product of it.”

Pant traced his sense of responsibility back to childhood, when he lost his father at a young age. While the experience was shattering, he believes it constructively shaped his outlook.

“I lost my father

when I was very young but at the same time it teaches you to take responsibility in a positive way,” he said. “That made me really strong.”

He revealed that a significant shift in his approach to life and cricket came during the COVID-19 pandemic. Until then, Pant admitted, his focus as a youngster was largely limited to playing cricket freely, without thinking too deeply about structure or long-term considerations.

“When you are playing as a youngster, you are not really thinking about your financials and you are only focusing on playing cricket,” he said, adding that the pandemic forced him to become more serious and reflective.

Addressing the popular idea of work-life balance, Pant acknowledged its relevance but warned against prioritising it too early.

“Nowadays, we talk about work-life balance,” he said. “I think people need to understand that first you need to work hard, go crazy about your work and there will be time in life when you can relax and chill back.”

According to Pant, youth offers a rare window to experiment, fail, recover and grow. “As a youngster, it is the best thing to push your limits because there is a lot of time to recover,” he said. He believes perspectives change with age, when security and planning take precedence. “Once you go to 35 or 45, you would want to have a more secured thought process and planning,” he added.

For now, Pant’s message to young people is simple and uncompromising. “Before that, just grind it out from bottom to top,” he said. “Everywhere you go, try to learn and something beautiful comes out of it.”