"I must be doing something right that I am scoring that many runs now," Rishabh Pant said. (TOI Photo)

He is here on a 10-day break from the domestic Ranji season and supposed to be resting at home after having plundered 799 runs in the first five matches he has played for Delhi. However, Rishabh Pant was instead all padded up at 2 pm on a Sunday afternoon - for the second time in the day - itching to have a hit in the nets.

For Pant, Sonnet Club is his home and its coach Tarak Sinha his go-to man at all times. "He is not a father figure. Tarak sir is my father," says Rishabh calmly, looking straight into the eyes.

For all the hype around his audacity with the batting willow in the last one year, this 19-year-old says it with immense clarity, and conviction: "There is only one coach for me and that is Tarak sir." Then he flaunts his club jersey and adds: "My family is my parents, my sister and Tarak sir. I feel free and unwind here."

This coming from a person who spent good seven months with Rahul Dravid - first with the India Under-19 team and subsequently at Delhi Daredevils - is slightly surprising. For, that was the phase when he got noticed and was marked as a special talent.

But Pant, you realise, keeps it straight while talking. "Rahul sir has taught me to be disciplined and to deal with situations in higher level of cricket. As it is, he doesn't like to fiddle with a player's game. There can be only one true coach of a player... he is the one who has given you a game from the formative years and understands you even without watching you."

Rishabh continues: "Sir doesn't watch my matches but while talking to me he tells me how exactly I got out."

This blind trust between the two isn't just a story of a coach spotting a talent and working on him. It talks about the care given to the young boy in his early teens, looking after his needs beyond cricket and giving him a livelihood outside the game. "People say everything's happening very easily and quickly for Rishabh. But this boy was not allowed to play in Rajasthan because he was labelled an outsider," Sinha says, recalling the days when he worked as a director at the Rajasthan Cricket Academy.

"It was then that I decided to bring him to Delhi. We figured out which school he should study in, arranged a rented room for him in Palam and provided every necessity, including a washing machine, casual clothes and every little thing a little kid would want," says Sinha.

Pant's residence was determined by the grade of cricket he played. "When he started playing a higher grade of cricket, we decided to shift him to Chattarpur. He needed a better environment which would make him feel good about himself. His mother started living with him," reveals the 66-year-old coach.

The net sessions have continued and the relationship has evolved. Heroics in the Under-19 World Cup and an IPL contract of Rs 1.9 crore meant the coach and his team had to go hunting for a place that would suit Pant's growing stature. So, has anything changed? Well, Pant bears his expenses now. Sinha explains: "He shouldn't be thinking about his lifestyle. And he doesn't need to struggle. We arranged a flat in a posh South Delhi locality and selected a car for him. He needs to be confident and concentrate on his game at the moment."

Criticisms tends to trickle in with the outpouring of appreciation. "Only when I feel uncomfortable with my game that I think of trying out something different, and that too after talking to Tarak sir. I do listen to people but only Tarak sir has the right to alter my game," Rishabh makes his point, crisp and clean.

"I used to think a lot about what people would say about me. But I have learnt to ignore them. People called me a todu (slogger). I had a point to prove and the triple hundred I scored has helped my cause. I worked very hard on my batting and wicket-keeping during the off season. And yet, people keep needling me over my shot selection."

He further argues, "I must be doing something right that I am scoring that many runs now. And this is only the beginning. I will keep scoring and improving my 'keeping. Even after my triple hundred, Rahul sir called me and said this is the beginning."

The hard-hitting southpaw then gets up and walks towards the nets. Then he looks back and says, "And all this hawa (hype) about me means nothing unless I achieve anything. Either you have made the grade or you haven't. Woh khelte khelte reh gaya se kuch nahin hota. ('Nearly made it to the big league means nothing')."

The coach sits back, listening patiently to his ward all this while. This is how he deals with Pant. "He needs to learn to get a bit detached from me. Yes, I am always there for him and it is true I understand his game better than most at this moment. But exposure will only teach him more," Sinha reckons.

His prodigy has taken a flight - on a journey will take him to places where the big boys play. Sinha knows he has to let him go one day. "He gets very agitated when I try to impose anything upon him. He did that last evening as well. But after watching him bat in the nets, you can see he hasn't hit one ball in the air," Sinha says, a huge smile lighting up his face.

"I don't want him to change even as he eventually understands what's good for him. That's why we want him to play for India 'A' first and play top quality bowling on tough pitches. Even his target is that. The India cap isn't even a thought now."

Sachin asks for Rishabh's bat

This indeed is a dream season for Pant. The thunderous triple hundred against Maharashtra at the Wankhede Stadium shook up the Indian cricketing fraternity. While applause came from all quarters, he got a message directing him to leave his bat behind.

Pant left behind his bat and set off for his next match in Kolkata. Upon reaching Eden Gardens, he got his bat back - with Sachin Tendulkar signature and good wishes. He doesn't like to show off the bat but smiles when you remind him of Virender Sehwag 's tweet: 'Pant ne sab ki Pant utaar di.'

'Wanted to break Ishan's record of 14 sixes'

His strike rate outpaces the adulation and the leaves the harshest of critics spell-bound. The fastest first-class century against his name, though, fails to quench his thirst even as he has happy about flirting with records. "I knew Ishan (Kishan) had set the record of most sixes in Ranji in that match. I wanted to eclipse it. I fell after hitting 13. Even during the U-19 World Cup I was chasing AB de Villiers' fastest hundred and fell for 75 in the process. I like to challenge myself. But in an afterthought, I know my triple-hundred has set the bar high for me and I want to maintain it," he said.

