Former Indian batter Ajay Jadeja said there was no doubt in Rishabh Pant’s mind but the experts had doubts in their minds on his return to Test cricket. Pant made a fantastic comeback to the red-ball format in the opening Test match against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
The left-hander scored 39 runs in the first innings and added a crucial alliance of 62 runs with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Subsequently, Pant batted at his absolute best in the second innings as he scored a fine knock of 109 runs and added 167 runs with Shubman Gill.
Pant was making a comeback to Test cricket after a long hiatus of 629 days and he was able to hit the ground running.
“If you have to pick just one thing, I will pick Rishabh Pant’s knock because it has more emotions attached. It’s not that it made a huge difference tactically. I think it was Sanjay’s (Manjrekar) line that Rishabh Pant is a rare gem. There are very few rare gems and it also depends on how you use them,” Ajay Jadeja said on Colors Cineplex.
“There was no doubt in his mind but we had doubts in our minds, or the people outside. People who are not rare think average things. There was no doubt in his mind because you have seen it in his game. He hasn’t changed his approach. He played the same way he used to play earlier. However, you get an assurance when you score a hundred,” the former India batter added.
Jadeja lauded Pant for playing with the same approach even after reaching his century against the Tigers.
“He showed yesterday (Saturday) as well that numbers don’t matter to him. His approach remained the same after scoring a century as well. He could have gotten out earlier as well, a catch was dropped, he was a little lucky, and only brave people get the luck,” he observed.
The cricketer-turned-commentator added Pant will only get better after getting off to a promising start on his return.
“I feel the doubts were only in our minds or the fans’ minds because when you love someone, you think something wrong should not happen. He is a positive guy. Now that he has got a start like this, he will only get better,” he said.
The second Test match between India and Bangladesh will be played at Green Park, Kanpur from September 27.
