Former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden believes that India’s star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is all but likely to play a big role in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024, while recalling the 26-year-old’s Gabba heroics back in 2021. Hayden praised Rishabh Pant‘s attacking batting style and risk-taking tendency, hailing them as pivotal for a high-challenge series like the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Rishabh Pant, who has made a successful return to cricket after a life-threatening accident in 2022, was an outstanding performer for India in the 2020-21 tour, notching up brilliant knocks of 97 and 89 not out in the landmark trip.
Rishabh Pant career changing series in BGT 2020-21
India outgunned a full-strength Australia despite missing several frontline players in one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the history Test cricket. The visitors bounced back from the ignominy of 36 all out in the opening Adelaide Test to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1 for a second consecutive time. Virat Kohli had to return home after the Adelaide game due to personal reasons and five other players, including key pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, were forced out due to injuries and fitness issues.
Rishabh Pant’s match-winning and unbeaten 89 off 138 balls knock saw India clinch history after beating Australia at Brisbane for the first time in 32 years. Chasing 328 runs against an Australian bowling attack featuring the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, Rishabh Pant showcased sensational resilience at the crease after losing their middle order batter in quick succession. Post this win Rishabh Pant was hailed as the next big thing in Indian cricket as a swashbuckling test batter .
However life changed and destiny had a bad turn as Rishabh Pant met with an life threatening accident in the year 2022. However the fighter within Rishabh Pant kept on fighting and made a miraculous comeback in 2024 to international cricket starting with the ICC World T20 Trophy 2024 in the Caribbean which Team India won and Rishabh Pant making significant contributions with the bat and behind the stumps during the course of the matches.
Matthew Hayden highlighted how India had already showcased a heroic performance against Australia in 2021 with a much less-experienced squad, which only heightens the expectations for a better result in BGT 2023-25 .
Hayden recalls Rishabh Pant’s Gabba heroics, backs player to star in BGT 2024-25 in Australia
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden picked wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant as one of the key players for India in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy. India will take on Australia in a five-match Test series from November 22 to January 3. India have won the Border Gavaskar Trophy on the last four occasions, including two in Australia. The 2020-21 tour down under saw the side pull off a miraculous 2-1 series win despite dealing with multiple injuries.
Among several heroic efforts from numerous players, Rishabh Pant was right on top, scoring 274 runs at an average of 68.50 with two crucial half-centuries. Speaking about the upcoming India-Australia series at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards ceremony, Matthew Hayden praised Rishabh Pant’s hunger for victory and exciting batting style.
“Guys like Rishabh Pant have got a muscle memory and the thirst for victory. He was such a key player last time he played there and the Australian public loved him as well, because of the nature of the way he played his game,” said Hayden.
He added:
“It was exciting. It was innovative. It was just fresh and good. Then you have got your old stewards, like Virat Kohli, (he) will want to make an impression again. From a batting point of view, I’m excited to see how India have that strategy to take on the Australian conditions.”
Rishabh Pant saved his best for the last as he scored 97 and 89* in the final two Tests to help India draw the penultimate game in Sydney and pull off an improbable run-chase of 328 in the final Test in Brisbane. However, the 26-year-old hasn’t played a red-ball game for India since the car accident and subsequent injury in December 2022.
Matthew Hayden highlights India’s win in 2020-21 BGT as the greatest in absence of stalwarts like Virat Kohli for India
Matthew Hayden feels India would take confidence from their last tour of Australia when they won the series without ace batter Virat Kohli in the final three Tests.
Kohli played the first Test in Adelaide, which India lost by eight wickets and returned home for personal reasons to miss the rest of the series. Ajinkya Rahane took over as captain for the final three Tests, as India pulled off the 2-1 series win.
“The great thing from an Indian perspective is that when you look at the last victory, there was no Virat Kohli. There was a very much a second team bowling line-up that won at the Gabba. That’s the kind of confidence that you can expect this Indian unit to go to our shores (with) and go, ‘guys, we’ve done this before, and we’ve done it in a way that’s second to none, even without our key players,” said Hayden.
The first Test of the much-awaited series between the two teams on top of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table starts in Perth on November 22. With stars like Pant, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and others stars speculated to be fully available for the BGT, Hayden’s words have only spiked up the excitement amongst Indian cricket fans for an action-packed series.