Rishabh Pant admitted that he was itching to play the longest format when he was away from action due to the injuries he sustained in the horrific car crash on December 2022. After almost two years, Pant was back to Test cricket and announced himself with a scintillating hundred which put India in a commanding position against Bangladesh in Chennai.
On the third day of the first Test, Rishabh joined forces with Shubman Gill and stitched a 167-run partnership for the 4th wicket, helping India set Bangladesh a mammoth 515-run target. In reply, visiting captain Najmul Hossain Shanto fought the lone battle with an 82-run knock which didn’t suffice to avoid a 280-run defeat against the hosts.
Pant, with his 6th hundred, equalled the record of legendary MS Dhoni for the most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests. Co-incidentally, the young keeper-batter achieved the feat in Chennai which has been Dhoni’s second home since the inception of IPL in 2008.
After making an impactful contribution to India’s victory, Pant opened up about his return to Test cricket after close to 2 years. When the broadcasters tried drawing a parallel between him and Dhoni, Pant said he always wanted to be himself.
“It’s CSK’s home ground, Mahi Bhai has played here a lot but I’ve 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 on JioCinema after the game.
Comebacks in Test cricket are always challenging but Pant aced it phenomenally. Speaking about it he said whenever he plays for India he gets nervous but in this game, the nervousness was much more.
“Definitely, I was a little nervous. It happens with me in every game, doesn’t matter if I’m getting a hundred or not. For this game, I was back in action after two years so, I was a little more nervous than usual,” Pant added.
India will now fly to Kanpur for the second Test which begins September 27 at Green Park.
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