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 playing for India B in the recent Duleep Trophy match at Bengaluru.

After a rather nervy 10-ball seven in the first innings against India A, Pant showcased his full range with a 47-ball 61 that contained nine fours and two sixes.

He tumbled, shuffled across and went deep into crease during that knock, but the management could have been more eager to see how he responded to the task of wicket-keeping.

Pant aced that test with flying colours, taking seven catches, five alone in the second innings, in that match.

The 26-year-old flew around behind the stumps to latch on to catches way down the leg side, a telltale sign of a wicket-keeper’s anticipation and agility, and was in the right position when the spinners operated.

Jurel played for India A, but it was clear that the match was more of an audition for Pant ahead of his reintegration into Test cricket, which was supported by a quick assessment by the NCA physios.

Gambhir delved on Pant’s role as a wicketkeeper.

“Not only with his batting, he has been excellent behind the stumps as well. Probably his batting overshadows his keeping many times.

“But actually, see what he has done in Indian conditions…it is never easy to keep against people like Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep. So, what he has done behind the stumps has been remarkable.

“Obviously, he brings a lot of good things to the Test side. Not only from the batting point of view, but from the keeping point of view as well,” Gambhir detailed.

Above all this, Pant gives a different angle to the whole game of cricket with his attitude. Ricky Ponting, who worked with Pant at Delhi Capitals, gave an insight.

“He’s an infectious character to have around the group. He loves his cricket. He’s a winner. He doesn’t just play to make a few runs and be out there for the fun of it,” Ponting recently told Sky Sports.

So, welcome back Spidey!

Out-of-favour India batter Shikhar Dhawan and his national and state teammate Rishabh Pant shared a heartwarming moment during the Delhi Premier League 2024 opener at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday. Dhawan is the co-owner of South Delhi Superstars while Pant is the captain of the Purani Dilli 6 team. The two sides were playing against each other in the opening game of the tournament. On the sidelines of the match, Dhawan was giving an interview to the host broadcaster. During this time, Pant — after getting dismissed for a 35 off 32 — was walking past him. Dhawan stopped his interview mid-way and shared a warm hug with the wicketkeeper-batter. The picture is going viral on social media.

Rishabh Pant hugged Shikhar Dhawan after getting dismissed in the Delhi Premier League. #RishabhPant #ShikharDhawan #DelhiPremierLeagueT20 #DPLT20#RishabhPant pic.twitter.com/w7MApbWieZ

— Pawan Yadav (@PawanYa58815015) August 18, 2024

Remarkable fifties from skipper Ayush Badoni and Priyansh Arya led the South Delhi Superstarz to a three-wicket victory over Purani Dilli 6 in the opening match of the inaugural edition of the Delhi Premier League T20.

Arpit Rana’s 59 off 41 and Vansh Bedi’s 47 off 19 helped Purani Dilli 6 put up 197/3 in 20 overs, before South Delhi Superstarz chased down the target in 19.1 overs.

South Delhi Superstarz began their run chase of 198 runs at a blistering pace. They smashed as many as 73 runs in the Powerplay, thanks to the free-flowing strokes from opener Priyansh Arya and Sarthak Ray.

Ray, who hammered 41 off 26 balls, was caught and bowled by Shivam Sharma in the seventh over, while Arya reached his fifty off 27 balls in the 12th over. In the same over, skipper Ayush Badoni, who had started his innings cautiously, struck four consecutive sixes off Ankit Bhadana, taking the team’s total to 140/1.

Arya was caught by Arpit Rana off Sharma in the following over after scoring 57 runs off 30 balls, including three fours and four sixes. Dhruv Singh (1 off 2) then fell cheaply to Prince Yadav, while Badoni reached his half-century off 25 balls in the 14th over, reducing the equation to 38 runs needed off 36 balls.

However, the momentum shifted dramatically as Purani Dilli 6 claimed four wickets in quick succession. Badoni (57 off 29) and Tejasvi (0 off 1) were dismissed in the 15th over, Kunwar Bidhuri (5 off 7) in the 17th over, and Sumit Mathur (9 off 10) fell in the 18th over, leaving South Delhi needing 13 runs off the last two overs.

Vision Panchal and Digvesh Rathi then displayed some resilience as they chased down the target with five balls to spare.

Earlier in the contest, Purani Dilli 6 were invited to bat first and faced an early setback when Manjeet (13 off 8) was dismissed in the third over. Divij Mehra provided the breakthrough for the South Delhi Superstarz, with Kunwar Bidhuri taking a sharp diving catch near short third man. Despite an early setback, Arpit Rana and star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant took control of the innings as they guided Purani Dilli 6 to 58/1 by the end of the powerplay.

Rana batted fluently and reached his fifty off 37 balls in the 11th over, while Pant played a supporting role. The duo brought up the team’s 100-run mark in the 13th over. However, Rana (59 off 41) was dismissed in the same over of Badoni. Pant followed soon after, dismissed by Kunwar Bidhuri in the 15th over after scoring 35 runs off 32 balls.

With Purani Dilli 6 at 129/3 after 15 overs, Vansh Bedi and Lalit Yadav upped the tempo as they struck a flurry of boundaries in the death overs, adding as many as 79 runs in 34 balls. Bedi’s quickfire 47* off 19 balls and Yadav’s 34* off 21 powered Purani Dilli 6 to an impressive total of 197/3 in their allotted 20 overs.