Concerned about role assigned to me says Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant, who became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in Australia, asserted that he does not care much about hundreds and is more concerned about fulfilling the role assigned to him by the team.

The 21-year-old, who played an unbeaten knock of 159 runs on Day Two of the Sydney Test, mellowed down his achievement saying that every hundred holds a special significance for him.

Speaking at a post-match press conference Pant said, "Every hundred that I have scored at the international level is special from me because I have just started my career. But the main thing is that I don't think about hundreds. My only goal is to do what team demand of me."

The left-hand batsman got a good start many times in the ongoing Test series against Australia but he could not convert it into a big total. When asked about the reason behind the same, Pant said that, previously, whenever he got a good start, he used to battle with the tail-enders but today he was playing with a batsman.

"I don't think anything changed for me. But it should be noticed that I was playing with a batsman this time. Most of the time when I got a start, I was playing with tail-enders. With them, you have to think differently because most of the time it's you who has to score the most of the runs. With batsman on the other end, it is different and you must have seen that today," Pant said.

Talking about his on-field chat with opposition batsmen from behind the stumps, the Indian wicket-keeper said that it is his way of keeping himself positive and busy on the field.

"This (On-field chatting with opponent batsmen) is a way of keeping you positive and busy as your body gets tired after fielding for a long time. Everybody has got their own way and this is mine," he said.

Pant's centurion knock on Day Two of the Sydney Test made him the first Indian wicket-keeper to score two centuries at the age of 21 or before. He also surpassed former Indian keeper Farokh Engineer's score of 89 runs at Adelaide in 1967-68 to become the highest run-getter against Australia as a wicket-keeper batsman.

India are in a commanding position in the final Test having declared their first innings at a mammoth score of 662 runs. In reply, Australia have made 24 runs without losing a wicket at Stumps on Day Two of the match.

-ANI