Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra said Rishabh Pant makes us fall in love with Test cricket and feels the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which India won by 2-0, will be remembered for the wicket-keeper’s comeback. Pant was making a return to the red-ball version after a long hiatus of 629 days and he was able to hit the ground running.
The left-hander scored a decent knock of 39 runs in the first innings of the opening Test against the Tigers at Chennai. The southpaw then followed it with a brilliant knock of 109 runs in the second essay and also added 167 runs with Shubman Gill, who scored an unbeaten 119.
Pant has performed consistently in the multi-day format since his debut and he has been one of India’s best batters in the last few years.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “The fourth reason will be Rishabh Pant’s comeback for the simple reason that a lot of time had passed. He makes you fall in love with Test cricket. He is that kind of a player. The way he plays, the way he finished the match, he hit a big shot and it was over.”
Chopra lauded Pant for playing according to the merit of the ball. The left-hander was at his best in Chepauk as he scored his sixth Test century.
“When he comes to bat, everyone says that you should put the shutter down in the evening, let’s play safe, and he says he can score 20 runs off 10 balls. Then he comes the next day and scores the first 50 runs off 88 balls, and then sixes one after the other,” Chopra said.
The renowned commentator also shed light on Pant’s entertaining words. Pant was seen setting Bangladesh’s field when he was batting in the middle. The wicketkeeper is also always chirpy behind the stumps, especially while standing up to the spinners.
“The sort of cricket he plays, the kind of shots he plays, and the entertaining stories he creates, asking the opposition captain to put a fielder where one wasn’t there, or saying that you would get an lbw if the ball hits a particular batter on his helmet, he is entertaining. That is Rishabh Pant,” he said.
Chopra picked Shubman Gill, Akash Deep, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ravindra Jadeja’s performances as other positives for Team India.
“Then you can go to multiple reasons. One is Shubman Gill scored a century again and Yashasvi Jaiswal scored three half-centuries. The sort of rise Akash Deep has had, Jaddu reaching 300+ wickets, and the way he took three wickets in three overs in the second innings in Kanpur, and then in batting on the first day of the series,” Chopra elaborated.
India will next take on Bangladesh in the opening T20I at the New Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, Gwalior on Sunday.
