Two years earlier in 2023 Rishabh Pant did not know if he’d be playing cricket again. It was a life threatening accident. Recovery was taking time and everyone was worried for Pant. Deep down he did not give up. Pushed himself at every step and wanted to get back to what he does best. It is this zeal that has pulled him through and on Saturday he is captaining India in Guwahati in the absence of Shubman Gill.
Dinshaw Pardiwala, one of India’s best surgeons and one who operated on Rishabh, helped put things in context, “I am delighted that despite a life-threatening car accident, a complex and difficult knee reconstructive surgery, and a subsequent frustratingly long rehabilitation, Rishabh has reached a state where he has forgotten which knee was operated upon. In a world where injuries can end careers, I am happy that the contributions of sports surgery and medical science have enabled Rishabh to convert setbacks into success. Comeback stories are inspirational, and none beats that of Rishabh's. Whether it's his return to elite level cricket after his knee surgery, or his phenomenal back to back hundreds in England, he is a story of resilience and inspiration."
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Rishabh was expected to take the team over the line in Kolkata. In the absence of Gill, he was the best player of spin and expected to stand up in the run chase. For some reason he looked timid. He had let the pressure get to him and it was a very uncharacteristic second innings for Pant. With him gone, India succumbed to a humiliating defeat.
Clearly he is smarting. Though the South Africans have got off to a good start on a good batting deck, there is plenty to be played in the ongoing Test and Pant will want to step up and make it count. It is a massive Test match for India and also for Pant. To make a statement as captain and leader, this is what Pant has been waiting for. And now he has his chance.
This match could well be about Pant. About him making a statement and elevating himself into the echelons of greats who have played the game. Establish himself as one of the best ever wicket-keeper batters to take guard. Pant certainly has the talent. Now he also has the Indian captaincy with him. Each time he will be speaking to himself, words that might get caught on stump mic, it will be about telling himself that nothing is impossible. There is a method to his madness and that’s the new Rishabh Pant. The injury is now a thing of the past and a series levelling victory could well be his legacy.
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To go back to Dinshaw Pardiwala, “You see Rishabh and you tend to say to yourself ‘What a journey’. To just take a pause and see for yourself what all he has gone through leaves you stunned. He is a human story than anything else and one that will serve as inspiration for generations to come. We all wish him the very best.”
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