Rishabh Pant Talks About His ‘Emotional’ Century On Test Comeback In India V Bangladesh Chennai Test

Rishabh Pant, India wicketkeeper-batter, made his Test comeback after 634 days and made 39 in the first innings to stem the fall of wickets. He then celebrated his return to Test cricket by slamming his sixth Test ton.

India maintained their unbroken home Test record with a comprehensive 280-run victory over Bangladesh at Chepauk, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. India, undefeated at home since 2012, now has the opportunity to win their 18th consecutive Test series at home.

Asked to bat first in cloudy conditions, India struggled to 144/6, with Yashasvi Jaiswal leading the way with 56. However, a key 199-run partnership between Ravindra Jadeja (86) and Ravichandran Ashwin (113) saved India by driving them to 376.

Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud shone with a five-wicket haul, becoming the first from his nation to achieve the feat in India.

Bangladesh were reduced to 149 in their second innings, with India’s Jasprit Bumrah leading the way with 4/50. Shakib Al Hasan’s 32 was the visitors’ sole bright spot, leaving India with a comfortable 227-run lead.

“This 100 was special”- Rishabh Pant

In their second innings, India declared at 287/4, thanks to centuries from Shubman Gill (119*) and Rishabh Pant (109), giving Bangladesh a challenging goal of 515. Pant (109) led an alliance of 167 for the fourth wicket with Shubman Gill, which aided India. On Sunday morning, Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja combined for nine wickets to dismiss Bangladesh for 234.

Rishabh Pant’s jubilation after achieving his sixth Test century with a two-off Shakib Al-Hasan was one of thoughtfulness. Standing in the middle of the pitch, Pant closed his eyes, raised his bat, and tilted his head upward, as if offering a silent prayer of thanks.

“Definition a lot special, firstly I love playing in Chennai and secondly after injury I was looking to play all three formats, this was my first match in this format and hopefully I did better. Definitely it was emotional, I was looking to score runs in each and every game. Coming back to Test cricket where I belong the most, being on the field gives me pleasure more than anything else. I don’t know what people say outside, I tried to read the situation in my own way, when you are 30-3 you need to stitch a partnership and that’s what I did with Gill. To do it with a guy who I have a great relationship with is special,” Rishabh Pant told official broadcasters after the match.

The second Test will be played in Kanpur from September 27 onwards.

Also Read: Shubman Gill Discloses His Suggestion To Rishabh Pant Before 100 In 2nd Innings vs Bangladesh