'If I think about the shoes I'm filling, it will be a problem' – Pant

Pant was one of the hot topics of discussion before the recently-concluded ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, despite not featuring in India's original 15-member squad. He eventually took the flight to England nevertheless, as replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan, and returned with 116 runs from four innings. Now, after being named in all three squads for the West Indies tour, Pant acknowledged the importance of not being weighed down by expectations and focusing on the job at hand.

"I know those are big shoes to fill, but if I start thinking about it, there will be a problem," Pant told Hindustan Times. "Right now, I am not thinking about what people say. I am just focusing on what I have to do. I just want to do well for my country. That’s the only thing I am focusing on. I take the challenge positively. Now I have to see what I can learn, and what I can do to improve."

Pant, however, is making sure to not miss out on the lessons to be learned from the World Cup-winning captain. "The way he reads the game - that is the first thing. He is always very calm in pressure situations. There are many things to learn from him. And off the field, he is always very helpful too. I look to always keep learning from the seniors."

Known for his explosive hitting, Pant has trusted his ball-striking abilities and aggressive instincts even in the longest format, where he made his debut last year, against England at Trent Bridge, and collected his first runs in the format with a six, becoming the only player in the game's history to do so. The 21-year-old said that making his Test debut before playing international limited-overs cricket gave him the opportunity to identify different learning curves across the three formats.

"I don’t think about [the differences in] formats too much," he said. "Yes, maybe it did help that I played Test cricket first. I got good experience from playing Test cricket. People used to say that Test cricket is the most difficult. So I got to learn a lot: how to build the innings, playing down the order and how to bat with the tail.

"There is learning every day in Test cricket, especially when you have to walk out to bat after having fielded the entire day. That is a different experience. In ODIs, and T20Is, especially, things happen very fast. I just focus on what I have to do and what I have to learn every day. That is the only focus I have. And the more you play at the international level, and the more experience you gain, the more you learn, be it any format."

Pant batted at No.4 in each of his four World Cup innings, but failed to convert his starts on three of those occasions. The Delhi cricketer, however, said that he embraces batting at the position. "I loved batting at No. 4. It was nothing new for me as I have played at No. 4 before, like in the IPL. I had been practicing for the same role.

"There is no specific way or style I play in. I always play according to situation. I don’t know what people say, because I don’t read newspapers much. The only thing I am focusing on is that I have to play according to the situation, see what the team needs from me and how I can make the team win."