Rishabh Pant made a surprise return to the Test field. The wicket-keeper batsman had not played a Test match since the series in Bangladesh in December 2022.
He was out of action for over a year due to the severe injuries he had sustained in the horrific car accident. The left-hander returned to competitive cricket in March this year when he led Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. He then returned to international cricket by playing for Team India in the T20 World Cup.
And earlier this week, Rishabh Pant finally made his long-awaited return to Test cricket when he played in the recently-concluded first Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Delhi star announced his arrival in the longest format of the game in style.
After scoring 39 runs in the first innings, he scored a brilliant century in the second innings. India was trailing 67 for 3 when Rishabh Pant came out to bat in the second innings. He went on to score 109 runs and share a 167-run stand with Shubman Gill (119*) to put India in the driving seat.
Rishabh Pant on MS Dhoni comparison:
The hundred against Bangladesh helped Rishabh Pant equal MS Dhoni’s legendary Test hundred. Dhoni retired from Tests after scoring 6 tons. Incidentally, Pant reached the milestone at a place that is considered Dhoni’s second home due to his association with Chennai Super Kings.
And while Pant was speaking at the end of the match, the commentators tried to draw a parallel between him and Dhoni. In response, the wicket-keeper reiterated that while Dhoni has done a lot, he just wants to be himself. He also said that he enjoyed the atmosphere in Chennai.
“It’s CSK’s stadium, Mahi Bhai has played a lot here but I have always said that I want to be myself. I don’t focus on other things. Instead, I try to keep things simple and always try to give my best. But the atmosphere was lively and I enjoyed it,” Pant told JioCinema after the match.
Pant further admitted that he was a little nervous about his much-awaited return to Test cricket, saying: “Definitely, I was a little bit nervous. It happens to me in every game, it doesn’t matter if I get a hundred or not. For this game, I was back in action after two years, so I was a little bit more nervous than usual.
Meanwhile, India won the Test by 280 runs and took an unassailable lead in the two-match series. After setting a massive target of 515 runs, the hosts bowled out Bangladesh by 234 runs. The second Test is scheduled to be played from September 27 at Green Park, Kanpur.