Before Rishabh Pant makes his comeback to Test cricket against Bangladesh, former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly called him an “all-time great” of Indian cricket. Rishabh Pant returning to red-ball cricket was among the many factors in the ongoing Duleep Trophy and he is now set to make a comeback in Test cricket when India host Bangladesh later this month. Rishabh Pant, who hasn’t played a Test match since suffering a car crash in December 2022, has been named in the squad for the first match of the series which starts on September 19.
Rishabh Pant returns to the Test squad for the first time since December 2022 as India named a strong 16-member team for the Chennai Test against Bangladesh. Uncapped left-arm quick Yash Dayal is another addition to the squad that will be led by Rohit Sharma. Aside from Pant, incumbent wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel retains his place in the squad as does KL Rahul, who has also donned the gloves before. The first Test of the ICC World Test Championship series will be played in Chennai before action shifts to Kanpur.
Rishabh Pant’s tryst with destiny
Rishabh Pant indeed has defied all odds physically after an horrifying accident making him fit to play as Delhi Capitals skipper and wicket keeper and is amongst runs and his usual hitting spree this season. None for the second it is been thought that Rishabh Pant is the same guy who was caught almost in a non moving condition a year ago.
In cricket some destinies are destined , Hardly anyone knew that the hero of the famous Gabba win and the swashbuckling middle order wicket keeper batter in Tests Rishabh Pant would meet the fate of destiny to halt his cricketing journey for a brief period of time. The Indian team who had the torrid time in ICC events in 2023 and by year end a horrified test match vs South Africa had surely remembered and missed Rishabh Pant.
As fate could have it on the morning of December 30 2022, Rishabh Pant on his way back home met with a fateful accident and had a lucky escape. However this accident indeed turned out to be fateful for the Indian Cricket Team over the next year 2023 as Indian selection committee was caught in dilemma to replace a player like caliber of Pant who with his pyrotechnics with the bat could swing the game anytime in team’s favour especially in red ball cricket.
Rishabh Pant through his flamboyance in the tour down under 2021-22 and the English tour months later had already made a mark in the mind of former cricketers and India seemed to have found an able hitter at No 6 who could now be compared to likes of Adam Gilchrist of Australia changing the facet of how test cricket could be played.
Rishabh Pant (26) had a lucky escape after he was severely injured in a car accident that took place on the morning of December 30, 2022. The stumper’s car collided with a divider on the Delhi-Dehradun highway.
Before the car crash in December 2022 that temporarily froze his career for over a year, Rishabh Pant had come to be recognized as one of the most destructive Test batters in the world. He has scored 2271 in 33 Test matches with five centuries and 11 half-centuries at an average of 43.67. Rishabh Pant was also known for his aggression and has a career strike rate of 73.63. He has two centuries in England and a century each in Australia and South Africa.
Sourav Ganguly, widely rated among the greatest India captains ever and former BCCI president, said that he is not surprised by Rishabh Pant returning to the Test fold as soon as he was available.
Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly makes ‘all-time great’ positive prediction for Rishabh Pant ahead of 2 match test series vs Bangladesh
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has opined that keeper-batter Rishabh Pant has the potential to be an all-time great in Tests. Ganguly, however, admitted that the talented left-handed batter needs to work on his game in the shorter formats.
Pant has made a comeback to the Test side for the first time since his car accident in December 2022. He has been named in the Indian squad for the first Test against Bangladesh to be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from September 19. The 26-year-old made his international comeback during the 2024 T20 World Cup and also featured in the white-ball series in Sri Lanka.
The stumper possesses an excellent record in red-ball cricket for India and Ganguly believes that he can go on to become one of the best in the format. Speaking at an event in Kolkata, he said
“He will be an all-time great in Tests if he keeps performing like this. For me, he needs to get better in the shorter formats. With the talent he has, I’m sure with time, he will become one of the best.
“I consider Rishabh Pant one of India’s best Test batsmen. I’m not surprised that he’s back in the side, and he will continue to play for India in Tests,” the former India captain added.
In 33 Tests, Rishabh Pant has 2271 runs to his name at an average of 43.67, with five hundreds and 11 half-centuries. The left-hander has, however, struggled in the limited-overs formats. In 31 ODIs, he has scored 871 runs at an average of 33.50. He has also featured in 76 T20Is and has managed 1209 runs at an average of 23.25 and a strike rate of 127.26.
Ganguly also works closely with Pant in the IPL side Delhi Capitals. Rishabh Pant is captain of the team while Ganguly is Director of Cricket and mentor. He pointed out that Pant needs to work on his effectiveness in limited overs cricket. While India will face Bangladesh in a two-match Test series at home soon, Ganguly eagerly awaits the five-match Test series to be played in Australia. According to the former India captain, that series will be a real test for the visitors.