In the opening day of the Duleep Trophy encounter, India B batter Rishabh Pant‘s highly anticipated return to red-ball cricket after 634 days ended in disappointment, as he was dismissed for just seven runs. The dismissal came after a brilliant catch by India A captain Shubman Gill, who ran backwards to take a stunner off a mistimed shot by Pant.
Pant, making his comeback after a lengthy injury layoff due to a serious car accident in 2022, miscued a delivery from Akash Deep that went high into the air. Gill showcased exceptional fielding skills by covering considerable ground and completing a difficult catch, leaving Pant visibly frustrated.
The star wicketkeeper-batter’s return was widely followed, as this match was his first outing in red-ball cricket since his injury. Despite his underwhelming performance, Pant remains a crucial part of India’s plans for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Tymal Mills Criticizes ‘Stupid’ Blast Schedule, Sussex to Miss Jofra Archer on Finals Day
Pant had recently commented on India’s preparations for the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh, urging his team not to take their opponents lightly. Bangladesh is coming off a historic 2-0 Test series victory over Pakistan in Rawalpindi and will be full of confidence heading into the series.
India’s schedule for the next five months is packed, with the Bangladesh series followed by three home Tests against New Zealand before the highly anticipated five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
Pant emphasized that no series can be underestimated, saying, “Pressure will always be there because in international cricket, you can’t take any series lightly. The margin between winning and losing is very small, and nowadays, the gap between international teams isn’t much either.”
The first Test between India and Bangladesh is scheduled to begin in Chennai on September 19, followed by the second Test in Kanpur.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and Instagram
