The morning of December 30, 2022, brought genuine scare and tension to the cricketing fraternity. Pant\u2019s life-threatening car accident on the way to his home in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, left everyone wondering if he could ever play in the same remarkable way that won him accolades from fans around the world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But this year Pant has convincingly dispelled all those doubts with his impressive performances in the IPL 2024, as a wicketkeeper-batter. He further showcased his skills on challenging pitches in New York during India\u2019s successful T20 World Cup campaign. Additionally, he made a comeback to ODI cricket through the Sri Lanka tour, although the outcome didn\u2019t yield the expected result.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On September 5, Pant will make his comeback in red-ball cricket at the M, where Team B will play against Team A in the first round match of the Duleep Trophy at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, ending a 620-day wait for fans to see him in the longer format.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While Pant is known for his attacking prowess in limited-overs cricket, it is in Test matches where he has truly made a difference for the Indian team, seen from his 2271 runs in 31 games, while boasting an average of 43.67.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
From the moment he smashed Adil Rashid\u2019s googly for a six over long-on in his debut Test innings at Trent Bridge in 2018 to reverse-sweeping off James Anderson at Ahmedabad in 2021, Pant has consistently delivered remarkable performances for India - both on home soil and abroad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pant\u2019s contribution in India\u2019s epic Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in 2020\/21 solidified his status as a generational talent. He displayed his brilliance with a dazzling 97 in a tense draw at Sydney, and followed it up with a daring 89 not out in an unforgettable run-chase at Brisbane. Pant also boasts of achieving a feat unmatched by any other Indian wicketkeeper-batter: scoring Test centuries in Australia, England, and South Africa.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe is having that excitement of playing red-ball cricket after so many days. Everyone at the club has been proud of him being a member of T20 World Cup winning team and I wish to see him play Test cricket in the way he played previously. His fitness has also been great and you all must have seen the improvements he\u2019s made in his wicketkeeping during the T20 World Cup. The upcoming Duleep Trophy will tell what would happen next for him in red-ball game,\u201d said Devendra Sharma, Pant\u2019s childhood coach at the Sonnet Club, to IANS.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The timing of Pant\u2019s comeback in red-ball cricket couldn\u2019t be better, as India prepares with an aspiration to clinch their third Border-Gavaskar Trophy victory on Australian grounds. If Pant can find his rhythm in the longer format, it will uplift India\u2019s aspirations of winning the five-match Test series in Australia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBeing back so soon and in contention to play at the highest level, where he has already played, it\u2019s phenomenal as far as Rishabh is concerned. When you talk about those kinds of injuries, there\u2019s one thing coming back on the field physically. But to be back mentally and so good to play at the international level, credit needs to be given to him. I recently met him because he played one game at Delhi Premier League (for Purani Dilli 6 team).\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe looked so much different as far as his mentality is concerned and even physically, there was so much change - much stronger, much leaner, much fitter. Credit needs to be given to him in that sense that coming back after that sort of an injury and back again on the park.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut you always have to start again and I think he\u2019s on that road to start again. His numbers in Test match cricket, and especially abroad is phenomenal. So, he\u2019s going to be somebody who will be right in the contention as far as filling that spot. But it\u2019s good to see him back,\u201d said Vijay Dahiya, former India wicketkeeper-batter, to IANS.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Duleep Trophy helps Pant adapt to the longer format and its demands for a wicketkeeper-batter. \u201cNormally, if you see in a T20 game, the balls that come to a wicket-keeper, 50% are chances. So, you\u2019re always there because you know that whatever will come to me, there\u2019ll be a chance \u2013 either it is a run-out or a catch or a stumping because you see hardly batters missing balls in T20 games, which are only 120 deliveries.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo, having a concentration for that period, sometimes it\u2019s not that challenging. The moment it becomes a longer version of the game, the biggest challenge is one technique - all these guys do have that sort of technique. Then temperament comes into the picture and concentration will be there as well.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very important to see what sort of wickets they\u2019re going to play in this Duleep Trophy, because come home series, whatever people say, you always play on a result-oriented wicket and mostly the result-oriented wicket means a bit of a turning track.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo, the concentration is going to be a big challenge when you shift from white-ball cricket to red-ball cricket, and you have got to be bit technically really strong when you\u2019re keeping in a longer version of the game,\u201d added Dahiya, who was Delhi head coach when Pant made his Ranji Trophy debut in October 2015.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He also highlighted the need for mental toughness and sharpness while wicketkeeping in the longer format. \u201cMentally as a wicketkeeper, you need to be one of the strongest as far as your squad and team is concerned because you\u2019re a captain without a captain. You don\u2019t need that title to be a captain; you\u2019re a fielding captain anyways.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIts because that you\u2019re helping your captain by letting him know what the field placement can be, how the pitch is playing, how the batter is playing, and in which phase you can use which bowler. So in all those things, a wicketkeeper is a very, very important part of any side.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Besides Pant, Ishan Kishan is gradually resuming to play red-ball cricket. Kishan made a comeback to red-ball cricket for Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament, after missing the entire Ranji Trophy last season -making scores of 114, 1, and 5.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kishan will aim to build on that form in the Duleep Trophy, where he\u2019s part of the India D playing against India C in Anantapur on September 5. \u201cAs far as Ishan\u2019s skill set is concerned, there was no question mark on it. There was something that I don\u2019t want to get too deeply into it, but it was that he wasn\u2019t playing or whatever he was not happy with.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe came back from an international tour and after that he missed the full season for his state. Keeping all those things aside, if you just ask me about his potential, it\u2019s phenomenal and he\u2019s shown it. As somebody who can score a double hundred at the international level, it tells you about the capability of a player,\u201d added Dahiya, who previously worked with IPL franchises Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Amidst this, Dhruv Jurel\u2019s performance in Team A during the Duleep Trophy will be closely watched. Jurel emerged as an unexpected hero in India\u2019s last three Test wins against England, showcasing his exceptional glovework and impressive batting in Ranchi.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI really love that kid. I had seen him play for Uttar Pradesh when I was their coach in domestic cricket and I could see that his glovework and collection of the ball was so good. But what has always stood out for me about Dhruv has been his temperament, which was very much clear in the Test matches he played for India.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI remember meeting Rohit Sharma sometime after the Test series, and he was really raving about the temperament Dhruv showed in the matches against England. I have always felt that this kid has a really long way to go, like he showed he can finish games for his team in the IPL.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cOnce he finds himself well-settled in the national set-up, then his temperament and skills will develop even more to be of great use for the Indian team in future,\u201d stated Dahiya, who currently sees Pant and Dhruv as front-runners for the two wicketkeeper slots in India\u2019s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jurel\u2019s inclusion, along with Pant and Kishan on the comeback trail, and players like KS Bharat, Kumar Kushagra, N Jagadeesan, Abishek Porel, and Aryan Juyal in the mix, highlights a strong group of wicketkeepers picked for the Duleep Trophy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very good pool as far as the wicketkeepers are concerned. It\u2019s also good that we are starting from Duleep Trophy as you are looking at a longer format. Everyone knows what kind of batters are there \u2013 like some are experienced, while others have some amazing potential.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut the interesting thing is that when we play outside home, and when I see this team, and new coach, I feel that the kind of challenge that will be there, or the one they want to take, it will all be based on the kind of team they want outside home. So, in that case, you need to look at your wicket-keeper as an all-rounder.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very good pool as far as the wicketkeepers are concerned. It\u2019s also good that we are starting from Duleep Trophy as you are looking at a longer format. Everyone knows what kind of batters are there \u2013 like some are experienced, while others have some amazing potential.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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