Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant has made a superb return to first-class cricket after 21 months. Pant reached his 50 off just 34 balls and played shots all over the pitch. It was a typical Rishabh Pant style of innings, full of excitement and aggression.
Earlier, India B had taken a huge 90-run lead after the first innings of both teams ended. But India A fast bowlers Khaleel Ahmed and Akash Deep had other ideas and dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Musheer Khan cheaply to get their team back into the game.
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Rishabh Pant marks his return to first-class cricket with a 34-ball half-century
Rishabh Pant came in to bat at No. 5 when India B were in deep trouble at 22-3 following the fall of their captain Abhimanyu Easwaran. The left-hander joined Sarfaraz Khan at the crease. Despite the fall of wickets and the wicket helping the seamers, both batsmen were aggressive from the start.
The youngsters made their intentions clear as they looked to extend the lead. Pant was lucky on a few occasions as the ball went off his outside edge over the wicket-keeper’s head. On one occasion, he managed to get a top edge and the ball went up in the air. However, wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel could not get under the ball in time.
Pant was particularly harsh on left-handed wrist bowler and Delhi Capitals teammate Kuldeep Yadav, greeting him with a flurry of boundaries. Pant reached his half-century off just 34 balls. Despite playing a first-class match after 21 months, he looked in great form.
50 for Rishabh pants! 👌
He does it with just 34 balls 🔥#DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank
Follow the match ▶️ pic.twitter.com/OPSfsvFhqI
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 7, 2024
Rishabh Pant continues attacking after fifty
Pant continued to attack the bowlers and sent the bad balls to the boundary. He was eventually dismissed for 61 in just 47 balls, which included 9 fours and 2 sixes.
The left-hander attempted to sweep offspinner Tanush Kotian but one hand came loose from the handle, resulting in a top edge. The fielder at short fine leg lunged forward to take an excellent catch.
Pant’s quickfire knock allowed India B’s lead to surpass the 200-run mark. Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant added 72 runs off just 55 balls. Sarfaraz hit 46 runs off 36 balls, which included 7 fours and 1 six.
India B extends lead
Rishabh Pant was dismissed for just 7 runs in the first innings but came back strongly in the second innings. His form is great news for India as it has put their desire to return to Test cricket on full display. He is likely to be in India’s squad for the upcoming home Test series against Bangladesh.
India B ended Day 3 with a record of 150-6. They currently lead by 240 runs with 4 wickets in hand. Khaleel Ahmed dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy on what turned out to be the last ball of the day. Washington Sundar was batting unbeaten on 6 off 23 balls.