When Rishabh Pant met that unfortunate car accident in December 2022, having just finished the Bangladesh tour, the images weren’t promising, and he went through so many battles physically and mentally to prepare himself for recovery. He missed the entire 2023 before returning to the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Because of his excellent performances in the tournament, the Indian wicket-keeper batter was promoted to the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA), but the wait for his Test return was still on, which finally ended in the first of the two-match series against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The Rohit Sharma-led side was struggling in the first innings when the Delhi batter walked into the middle and showed his aggression version with the bat. He chased a short and wide delivery to bring the curtains down in his innings.
“Rishabh Pant is best suited to Test cricket”- Mohammad Kaif
The former Indian batter, Mohammad Kaif, feels that the flamboyant wicket-keeper batter of the side will be the biggest match-winner for India in the longest format of the game, and his prime in the career is yet to come.
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In the second innings for India, the equation was different. The home side already had a huge lead in their bank. But things could easily have been different had they lost a few more wickets. But Rishabh Pant showed his value in the game.
When he arrived in the middle, it was almost the end of the second day’s play. Any general batter would have blocked it out and hoped to come fresh on the next day, but that wasn’t the case with the Uttarakhand-born. He used his feet and thumped Mehidy Hasan Miraz over his head for a straight six and kept on going with the same rate on the third day.
“Rishabh Pant wasn’t there the last time when England toured India. He has been the biggest match-winner for India, coming at no. 5-6, he has played many match-winning knocks, none bigger than the innings at the Gabba that all remember. He has hit hundreds in tough conditions in South Africa and England also.” Kaif expressed this in an exclusive interview with the Times of India (TOI).
The 26-year-old has an average of 62.40 in the longest format of the game down under, having collected 624 runs in just 12 innings, while in South Africa, he has fetched 186 runs in three games, including an unbeaten 100 runs.
In Chennai, he powered the bowlers around the ground for 109 runs in 128 deliveries with the help of 13 boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of over 85. In this way, Rishabh Pant equals MS Dhoni with six centuries to be the joint-best designated wicket-keeper batter of the Indian team.
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“So I think Rishabh Pant, stat-wise, is best suited to Test cricket, that’s his best format. There is no need for the India think tank to think of anybody other than him. His best is yet to come, and he is yet to hit his prime when he will be around 27.” Mohammad Kaif highlighted during the interaction. “His game will become more refined, and then he will hit his peak. So, Rishabh Pant’s best time is yet to come, especially in Test cricket.”
The 26-year-old has an average of 33.50 with 871 runs in the 50-over format, while in the T20Is, he has collected 1209 runs at an average of 23.25. These are poor numbers before his Test record of 2419 runs at an average of 44.79.