Former India player Ajay Jadeja has picked Rishabh Pant’s comeback as the biggest positive for Team India from the recently concluded first Test against Bangladesh as well. He added that Pant’s swashbuckling knock answered all worries the fans might have had as he returned to the format after a long injury layoff.
During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Jadeja said, “If you have to pick just one thing, I will pick Rishabh Pant’s knock because it has more emotions attached. It’s not that it made a huge difference tactically. I think it was Sanjay’s (Manjrekar) line that Rishabh Pant is a rare gem. There are very few rare gems and it also depends on how you use them. There was no doubt in his mind but we had doubts in our minds, or the people outside. People who are not rare think average things. There was no doubt in his mind because you have seen it in his game. He hasn’t changed his approach. He played the same way he used to play earlier. However, you get an assurance when you score a hundred.”
“He showed yesterday (Saturday) as well that numbers don’t matter to him. His approach remained the same after scoring a century as well. He could have gotten out earlier as well, a catch was dropped, he was a little lucky, and only brave people get the luck,” he again shared.
However, Rishabh Pant was dropped by Najmul Hossain Shanto off Shakib Al Hasan’s bowling on 72 as well. But, that didn’t stop him from playing aggressive cricket as he took only 24 more balls to reach his century. During the same discussion, Ajay Jadeja also stated that the century will hold Rishabh Pant in good stead as well.
“I feel the doubts were only in our minds or the fans’ minds because when you love someone, you think something wrong should not happen. He is a positive guy. Now that he has got a start like this, he will only get better. He has not yet got to bat where you needed him a lot, when you couldn’t have saved the game without him. His rarity is that he is always able to perform on the day when it’s needed the most. When it’s required, this rare gem will shine even more,” Ajay Jadeja concluded.