Rishabh Pant's selfless mindset on comeback Test impresses ex-IND star: ‘…only brave people get the luck’

Rishabh Pant has made a big impact on his return to red-ball cricket with a brilliant century against Bangladesh in Chennai. All eyes were on him when his name was picked in the playing XI for the series opener as he was returning to the Indian team's whites after over 600 days, post his horrific car accident in December 2022. The left-handed batter scored 39 in the first innings and learnt from his mistakes to score a magnificent ton in the second, laying the foundation for India's 280-run win at Chepauk.

The swashbuckling wicketkeeper batter proved that there is a method to his madness with the bat. His aggressive strokes combined with defensive display, pummeling Bangladesh bowlers, evoked a wave of nostalgia among the Indian fans. Pant struck a fluent 109 off 128 balls, lacing his innings with 13 fours and four sixes.

Pant was dropped on 72 by Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, but he didn't change his approach after that and continued hitting boundaries to smash his 6th Test century.

Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja lavished praise on Pant's brave approach and said he proved that he does not care much about the milestones and more about the team.

Jadeja said during a discussion on Colors Cineplex, “He showed on 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.”

Rishabh Pant always able to perform when it’s needed the most

Talking about Pant's aggressive batting approach, Jadeja said that it's just the fans who fears about him getting out but the wicketkeeper batter gets better when he starts playing his shots.

“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 shared.

Pant has already played a few clutch knocks for India in red-ball format in a short career, and Jadeja asserted that he knew how to handle pressure.

“He has not yet got to bat where you needed him a lot when you couldn’t have saved the game without him. His rarity is that he is always able to perform on the day when it’s needed the most. When it’s required, this rare gem will shine even more,” he added.