Test matches and Rishabh Pant are two completely different love affairs. Pant’s accomplishments in Test cricket account for a substantial portion of his success in international cricket. Although his ODI record isn’t too poor, Pant hasn’t played well in restricted overs, but in Test matches, he transforms into a different animal. Pant, who is 25 years old, has scored hundreds in Test matches in England, Australia, and South Africa, and he was on track to do the same in Bangladesh before being dismissed for an aggressive 46 on Day 1 of the first Test in Chattogram on Wednesday.
Pant was dropped from the squad for the Bangladesh ODI series due to medical reasons after receiving criticism for his poor performances in the Asia Cup, T20 World Cup, and India vs. New Zealand. In his first Test match since his comeback, Pant hit a superb 46 off just 45 balls in a counterattacking inning, smashing six fours and two sixes. When Virat Kohli’s wicket fell, India was in trouble at 48/3 and Pant came in to bat. Pant batted, however, in the only way he knew how—by attacking—instead of trying to play himself in.
Pant hit Taijul Islam for a booming four before taking one single from the opening six balls. Following two consecutive fours and sixes in his subsequent over, Pant turned his attention to Mehidy Hasan Miraz and hit both spinners for four more boundaries. Due to Pant’s impressive attack, Shakib Al Hasan was forced to switch bowlers and bring in Ebadot Hossain, but the pacer was greeted with a boundary. After receiving a second six from Mehidy, Pant soared to 46 before being bowled by a careless shot played on the very next ball.
Here are some reactions from Twitter in Pang’s innings
While it lasted, Pant’s knock was hilarious. After losing three fast wickets, India was stumbling, and Pant’s attack put Bangladesh back under pressure. Throughout his inning, Pant accomplished two outstanding firsts. After the legendary MS Dhoni, Pant is the first Indian wicketkeeper to surpass 4,000 runs in a Test match, and he is also the third-fastest player to hit 50 sixes, after only Shahid Afridi and Rohit Sharma. In just 26 Tests, Afridi smashed his 50th six, whereas Rohit needed 30 games. With his 31st Test, Pant reached a significant milestone.
After Pant’s dismissal, India’s innings were in a precarious position at 112/4 before Cheteshwar Pujara and Shreyas Iyer’s outstanding century partnership grounded the visitors. India reached a respectable 174/4 at tea as Iyer and Pujara each scored half a century. Pujara was on track to achieve his first century in three years, but he fell 10 runs short. Iyer, meanwhile, is unblemished at 82 as India reached 278/6 at the end of Day 1 of play.
