Team India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant has downplayed ongoing comparisons with his legendary predecessor, MS Dhoni. After the first Test against Bangladesh at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on September 22, he expressed his desire to remain true to himself.
In slightly more than three days, Team India triumphed over Bangladesh in the Chepauk Test by 280 runs. While the local boy and all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin was declared Player of the Match for his century and five-wicket haul. Pant also made a fantastic return to Test cricket after long time. Scoring 39 and then 109, this was Pant’s first red-ball match for India since dec 2022.
Interestingly, it was Chennai where the comeback happened which is home ground of his idol Dhoni in IPL. However, he denied drawing comparisons with other former captains of India while speaking after the Test match. The 26-year-old said (as quoted by NDTV):
“This is CSK’s home ground. Mahi bhai has played a lot of cricket here. But, for me, like I have said before, I want to be myself. I don’t focus on what’s being said or what’s happening around me. I keep things simple and focus on giving my best. The atmosphere here was amazing, and I really enjoyed it.”
Pant 🤝 Dhoni.
– Two finest WK batters in Indian history. pic.twitter.com/RPIFNs8jUD
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 21, 2024
During his second innings against Bangladesh, Pant, who was unable to convert his start in the first innings, partnered with Shubman Gill (119*) to add 167 runs for the fourth wicket. India set a daunting target of 515 for their opponents and bowled them out for 234.
“Kept My Thought Process Simple” – Pant on Chennai Century
India were in a commanding position after bundling Bangladesh out for just 149 runs in their first innings but the visitors fought back well reducing them to 67-3 at one stage during the second innings.
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Virat Kohli all got out cheaply. However, Pant played a solid innings and helped put India back in a strong position alongside Gill.
“I kept my thought process simple and played according to the situation. They started with spinners on Day 3, but I don’t go out with a predetermined way of playing,” Pant said.
“I knew we had lost three wickets, so I was conscious of not taking too many risks to avoid exposing the tail after [KL] Rahul bhai. The pitch was good for batting, and I wanted to make the most of it and score a hundred.
After 34 Test matches, Pant has accumulated 2,419 runs at an average of 44.79, including six centuries and 11 fifties.
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