Rishabh Pant Braces For Test Return After 632 Days

A harsh sun beating down on him, Rishabh Pant was engrossed preparing for his first Test in two years, taking down net bowlers in that unmistakably Pant-ish way. From getting tossed up some 40m into air off a toppled car to getting back to cricket field at the highest level is nothing less than extraordinary. It was hard to believe that 632 days have passed since Pant has played a Test match, and, coincidentally, his last five-day game was also against Bangladesh in 2022.

Now, the same opposition awaits him on his return to Test cricket come Thursday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, and while the cricketing landscape around him remains largely unchanged, though some worthy contenders have come up in the interim.

Dhruv Jurel has impressed all with a gritty outing in front and behind the stumps during the home series against England earlier this year.

None could have faulted the team management if they continued with Jurel for this match, but head coach Gautam Gambhir underlined the value Pant brings to the table.

"We all know how destructive he can be (as a batter) and what he can do in Test cricket. Obviously, it gives him the freedom to go out there and express himself. He has got runs everywhere around the world.

"It is always good to have someone like him who can open the game for us and more importantly can bring a lot of impact as well," Gambhir said in the pre-match press meet here.

Of course, Pant has made his return to international cricket through the white ball formats, and was a part of India's T20 World Cup winning squad too but the long-format matches offer a vastly different challenge in terms of skills and the duration of concentration.

Pant showed his readiness for the grind of red-ball cricket while