Rishabh Pant is all set to return to international red-ball cricket after the wicket-keeper batter was included in the Indian cricket team squad for the first Test match against Bangladesh starting September 19. Pant will be making his return after around 20 months as he was sidelined for a long time following the injuries suffered in a car accident in 2022. He was a key member of the Indian cricket team at the T20 World Cup 2024 and he also made his ODI return against Sri Lanka. Pant has now found a fan in WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff.

Bischoff reacted to a comment by a X (formerly Twitter) user commenting on Pant’s comeback and wrote – “Discipline and commitment. Deadly combination.”

Discipline and commitment. Deadly combination. Good luck @RishabhPant17 ! https://t.co/IW4GcYmCeu

— Eric Bischoff (@EBischoff) September 9, 2024

Earlier. former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes Rishabh Pant is on course to become an all-time great in Test cricket but at the same time, the southpaw needs to raise his game in the shorter formats.

WWE star praising Rishabh Pant , When you’re big , You’re big

— Dhruv (@I_m_dhruv_) September 10, 2024

“I consider Rishabh Pant one of India’s best Test batsmen. I’m not surprised that he’s back in the side, and he will continue to play for India in Tests,” Ganguly said at a promotional event here.

WWE wrestlers knows how hard it is to make a comeback after injuries.

— Reytrance (@Reytrance4) September 10, 2024

“He will be an all-time great in Tests if he keeps performing like this. For me, he needs to get better in the shorter formats. With the talent he has, I’m sure with time, he will become one of the best.”

Indian selectors have opted to give Mohammed Shami more time to recover from an ankle surgery and have named uncapped left-arm pacers Yash Dayal and Akash Deep in the squad. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are the two frontline pacers.

“I know Mohammed Shami is missing because of injury, but he will be back very soon since India is going to Australia. It’s still a very good attack,” Ganguly said.

“In India, you will see a lot more spin. In Chennai, you will see a lot more bounce. Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar, and Kuldeep are the four best spinners in the world at the moment — it won’t be easy. When you play in India, spinners have a lot more say in the game. But India are a very good team.” 

(With PTI inputs)

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes Rishabh Pant is on course to become an all-time great in Test cricket but at the same time, the southpaw needs to raise his game in the shorter formats. Pant on Sunday returned to the Test side for the first time since his life-threatening car accident in December 2022. He is expected to the start the first Test against Bangladesh beginning in Chennai on September 19. Since his return earlier this year following the accident, Pant has played T20s and ODIs and has done well.

“I consider Rishabh Pant one of India’s best Test batsmen. I’m not surprised that he’s back in the side, and he will continue to play for India in Tests,” Ganguly said at a promotional event here.

“He will be an all-time great in Tests if he keeps performing like this. For me, he needs to get better in the shorter formats. With the talent he has, I’m sure with time, he will become one of the best.” Indian selectors have opted to give Mohammed Shami more time to recover from an ankle surgery and have named uncapped left-arm pacer Yash Dayal and Akash Deep in the squad. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are the two frontline pacers.

“I know Mohammed Shami is missing because of injury, but he will be back very soon since India is going to Australia. It’s still a very good attack,” Ganguly said.

“In India, you will see a lot more spin. In Chennai, you will see a lot more bounce. Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar, and Kuldeep are the four best spinners in the world at the moment — it won’t be easy. When you play in India, spinners have a lot more say in the game. But India are a very good team.” “I am looking forward to their tour to Australia; that, for me, will be the real test for the squad. Then, when they tour England in July, these are the two most important tours, to be honest. I think the pace bowling department, with Bumrah and Siraj, and once Shami comes back, will be strong.” He also hailed Bengal pacer Akash Deep and said he’s one to watch out for.

“Akash Deep is an outstanding young fast bowler. He runs in, bowls quick, and will bowl for long periods. I’ve seen him play for Bengal, taking wickets.

“He will be as quick as Siraj and Shami, hitting high 140s. He is one to watch out for,” he added.

Tough challenge versus Bangladesh

Having conquered Pakistan, Bangladesh’s next assignment will be a two-Test series in India.

Ganguly said Rohit Sharma and Co will be a different “kettle of fish”.

“Going to Pakistan and beating them is never easy, so congratulations to the (Bangladesh) players. But India will be a different kettle of fish; India, whether at home or away, are a fantastic side with a very strong batting unit.

“I don’t see Bangladesh winning; India will win the series. But India must expect good and tough cricket from Bangladesh because they are coming into the series with a lot of confidence after beating Pakistan in Pakistan,” he added.

Genuine dearth of talent in Pakistan

With Pakistan hitting a new low with a Test series loss to Bangladesh, Ganguly feels there is a “genuine dearth of talent” in the country and they are far from the glory days when players like Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, formed the backbone of the team.

“I see a genuine dearth of talent in the country. Every time we think of Pakistan, we remember Miandad, Wasim, Waqar, Saeed Anwar, Mohammad Yousuf, and Younis Khan.

“That’s the memory of Pakistan for us, but that doesn’t win matches in the modern generation of cricket. Every generation has to produce outstanding players to win, and when I look at Pakistan in world cricket — I saw them in the West Indies World Cup, in India during the World Cup, and now after the Bangladesh series loss — there is a dearth of talent in that country.

“The people connected with the sport in Pakistan will have to look into it. I’m not saying this with disrespect. Pakistan of the old had some great cricketers, which I don’t see in this squad,” Ganguly said.

Rishabh Pant has made a name for himself as a destructive batter for the Indian cricket team irrespective of the format. Pant’s unconventional shots and positive mindset has cemented his position as one of the most dangerous batters in the world right now and it is a testament to his talent that he has been hailed by cricketers from around the world. However, the shot selection has come back to haunt him on some occasions as well as major criticism over how he approaches certain situations. With ‘Bazball’ gaining prominence in Test cricket, Pant was recently asked about it and he came up with a hilarious reply.

During an interaction on YouTube, popular content creator Tanmay Bhat asked Pant whether he knows how to play it safe. Pant quickly came up with a hilarious ‘Bazball’ response that has now gone viral.

“Abhi Bazball dekh rahe ho toh maza aa raha hai. Jab mein pehle kar raha tha toh acha nahi lag raha tha kya? (When you see Bazball, you enjoy it. But didn’t you like it when I did it earlier?)

can someone show this video to ben duckett pic.twitter.com/mwFucxP6db

— Aryan Don (@aryan68753) September 8, 2024

Meanwhile, former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes Rishabh Pant is on course to become an all-time great in Test cricket but at the same time, the southpaw needs to raise his game in the shorter formats.

Pant on Sunday returned to the Test side for the first time since his life-threatening car accident in December 2022. He is expected to the start the first Test against Bangladesh beginning in Chennai on September 19.

Since his return earlier this year following the accident, Pant has played T20s and ODIs and has done well.

“I consider Rishabh Pant one of India’s best Test batsmen. I’m not surprised that he’s back in the side, and he will continue to play for India in Tests,” Ganguly said at a promotional event here.

“He will be an all-time great in Tests if he keeps performing like this. For me, he needs to get better in the shorter formats. With the talent he has, I’m sure with time, he will become one of the best.” Indian selectors have opted to give Mohammed Shami more time to recover from an ankle surgery and have named uncapped left-arm pacer Yash Dayal and Akash Deep in the squad. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are the two frontline pacers.

“I know Mohammed Shami is missing because of injury, but he will be back very soon since India is going to Australia. It’s still a very good attack,” Ganguly said.

“In India, you will see a lot more spin. In Chennai, you will see a lot more bounce. Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar, and Kuldeep are the four best spinners in the world at the moment — it won’t be easy. When you play in India, spinners have a lot more say in the game. But India are a very good team.”

“I am looking forward to their tour to Australia; that, for me, will be the real test for the squad. Then, when they tour England in July, these are the two most important tours, to be honest. I think the pace bowling department, with Bumrah and Siraj, and once Shami comes back, will be strong.”

(With PTI inputs)

In a brilliant collaboration between sports and entertainment, star India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant recently featured on popular Indian comedian and YouTuber Tanmay Bhat’s channel, as they reacted to several cricket memes. However, the reaction to one old meme has gone viral in particular. Pant, Bhat and the others in the video cracked up when watching an old video of India pacer Mohammed Siraj, where the latter is stating what his official Instagram account is. Pant, Bhat and co. could not stop laughing.

Watch: Rishabh Pant cracks up at Mohammed Siraj meme

Rishabh pant couldn’t able to control his laugh when he saw mohammed siraj’s goated video #RishabhPant #siraj pic.twitter.com/84OwS9NiGK

— Harsh shekhawat (@wordofshekhawat) September 8, 2024

The video, which is fairly old, shows Siraj telling his fans that he had only one account, and that all other accounts are fake.

“Mohammmed Siraj Official is the account I use, that’s my only account. The rest are all fake IDs,” says Siraj in the meme, to the amusement of Pant.

The video, posted on Bhat’s YouTube channel ‘Tanmay Bhat’ has racked up more than 1.5 million views and 120,000 likes in just over a day of being uploaded.

Pant and Siraj were teammates as India lifted the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA in June 2024.

India vs Bangladesh

After more than a month of no cricket action, Team India is set to return for a two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home. Both Pant and Siraj feature in India’s squad for the series.

Bangladesh stunned Pakistan in Pakistan a few weeks ago, as they beat them 2-0 in their two-match Test series. Therefore, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side will be high on confidence coming into Chennai for the first Test.

The series will also be new India head coach Gautam Gambhir‘s first red ball series in charge of Team India. Surprisingly, Gambhir and the BCCI have not named a designated vice-captain for the tour, despite the likes of Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah featuring in the squad.

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant opened up on Suryakumar Yadav’s title-winning catch against South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup in the final at Barbados in June, saying that the ball did not cross the boundary because of the prayers of the die-hard fans waiting for an ICC trophy to come home after 11 years.

India ended their 11-year-long ICC trophy drought as Virat Kohli (76), Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/18) starred in Men in Blue’s seven-run win over South Africa in the final at Barbados on June 29. Virat’s masterclass knock helped India reach 176/7 in 20 overs, while Bumrah and Pandya unleashed a pace choke on Proteas, who were once riding on the high of a 27-ball 52 by Klaasen, snatching the match from a losing position to restrict Proteas to 169/8 in their 20 overs.

During the game, India were in huge trouble while defending 177 against a highly-attacking Proteas batting unit.

The 15th over bowled by Axar Patel saw him being dismantled by Heinrich Klaasen and smashed for 24 runs, leaving India with just 30 runs to defend in 30 balls. But from then on, the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh unleashed a brilliant pace-choke, while also taking crucial wickets. Pandya secured the crucial wicket of Klaasen in the 17th over, while a fine catch from Suryakumar Yadav at long-off in the final over saw him get the prized scalp of David Miller, when India needed to defend 16 runs in six balls. Pacers brought India into the game with a death-over masterclass and Protwas was left seven runs short of the target.

Speaking on the comedian Tanmay Bhat’s Youtube Channel, Pant recalled when the ball was in the air, everyone thought it would go for a six, but the fans’ prayers did not let it happen.

“When the ball was in the air, it felt like everything was gone. When it hit the bat, it seemed like a sure-shot six. The ball did not cross the boundary line because of the Indian fans’ prayers,” said Pant on Sunday.

Rishabh, who was a key star of India’s World Cup triumph, said that when he was away from the game due to his life-threatening road accident back in 2022, all he thought about was winning the World Cup for India. But he also talked about the importance of moving on and focusing on the task in hand while still savouring those moments.

“As a cricketer, you dream of winning the World Cup. During the injury, I was thinking that I wanted to win the World Cup. To come back into the side and directly win the World Cup was an unbelievable feeling,” said Pant.

“I am not thinking much about it now because I feel in India people forget after 10-15 days what you have done. So, it is important for you to forget these things as well. That moment will always be there with me, but now we have to move on and focus on what’s next,” he added.

After a life-threatening road accident in December 2022, Pant made his comeback to competitive cricket during the Indian Premier League (IPL), captaining Delhi Capitals. DC finished in the sixth spot with seven wins, seven losses, and 14 points and failed to move to playoffs. He scored 446 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of over 155 with three half-centuries and emerged as the team’s top run-getter.

Pant was also a vital member of India’s ICC T20 World Cup-winning team. He was the third-highest run-getter for India in their T20 World Cup triumph. He amassed 171 runs at an average of 24.42 in eight matches and also contributed with his skills behind the stumps with 14 dismissals, the most by a wicketkeeper in a single T20 WC edition. His influential performances helped India end their 13-year-long ICC World Cup drought.

Now, he will be in action during the first Test against Bangladesh at Chennai from September 19 onwards. However, other than Test matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand at home, Pant’s most anticipated matches will be against Australia during the Border Gavaskar Trophy from November 22 onwards, away from home.

In the recently concluded Duleep Trophy tie for India B, he starred in his team’s win over Shubman Gill led India A, with scores of 7 and 61 and some fine work behind the stumps.

On his attacking gameplay and if he considered playing in much safer way, Pant gave a hilarious answer while referring to England’s highly-attacking ‘Bazball’ approach to cricket under skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum in Test cricket.

“Abhi Bazball dekh rahe ho toh maza aa rha hai. Jab mein pehle kar rha tha toh acha nai lag rha tha kya?” (When you see Bazball you enjoy it, but when I did it before did you not like it or what?),” Pant remarked.

The dashing wicketkeeper-batter also reflected on his relationship with former coach Ravi Shastri, saying that the former head coach gave him a lot of “freedom and understanding” and even asked him to play reverse sweeps against off-spinners, who were doing well against Pant at one point.

“It was an amazing relationship. There was a lot of freedom and understanding with Ravi bhai. Instead of telling me not to do something, he would give me a better option. I believe in that approach. I do not like when someone says that this cannot be done. I was getting out to off-spinners very often at one point. He told me that I needed to do something about facing off-spinners. He asked me to start playing the reverse sweep against off-spinners,” he recalled.

On his bonding with skipper Rohit Sharma and understanding his on-field messages delivered in a hilarious, at times cryptic and typical Mumbaikar manner, Rishabh said in apparent jest that though he is able to understand what Rohit is able to say while on-field, he does not understand him much off the field.

The two-match series against Bangladesh will be starting from September 19 onwards, with the first Test taking place in Chennai and the second Test from September 27 onwards in Kanpur.

Indian squad for the first Test against Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, and Yash Dayal.

Indian cricket team wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant decided to poke fun at the India A players on Day 4 of the Duleep Trophy encounter in Bengaluru. Pant, who was part of the India B team, sneaked into the opposition side’s huddle while skipper Shubman Gill was giving his pre-match speech. In a video posted by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on X (formerly called Twitter), Pant was seen stealthily joining the huddle and listening to the speech. While the India A players were quite unfazed by Pant’s presence, fast bowler Avesh Khan decided to have a conversation with Pant after the speech ended.

India B player Rishabh Pant joined India A huddle in the morning to understand the opponent’s plan.pic.twitter.com/QZHkIpRdFL

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 8, 2024

While some of the social media users found the whole incident quite funny, there were some who were not impressed and pointed out that such acts hurt the image of a tournament like the Duleep Trophy.

Such videos will degrade authenticity of duleep trophy

Its like gali mohhale ki league ho

— Shah (@ipagshah00) September 8, 2024

Rishabh Pant returned to the Test side after nearly 20 months as India announced their 16-man squad for the opening match of the two-Test series against Bangladesh starting September 19.

thats funny

— Nattamai(@yoursme1122) September 8, 2024

Virat Kohli also made a comeback having missed the five-Test series against England at home earlier this year for having taken a break for the birth of his second child.

While fast bowler Mohammed Shami remains on a comeback trail and was not included in the squad, uncapped left-arm Uttar Pradesh fast bowler Yash Dayal received his maiden Test call-up.

India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was last seen in national colours during the T20 World Cup, returned to the squad and he is expected to play a couple of more Tests against New Zealand in October-November, before the team flies out to Australia for a five-Test series.

Bumrah is perhaps the only player apart from Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma to have been given freedom to choose as per the workload requirement and how his body responds, according to sources.

Having played in the second and final Test against Bangladesh at Mirpur from December 22-25, 2022, Pant had met a road accident a few days later on December 30 and made his return to top flight cricket only in IPL this year.

The 26-year-old swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter returned to the national side in their title-winning campaign in the T20 World Cup.

Shami failed to make it to the Test side even though chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar had earlier expressed that the right-arm seamer was targeting a return in the first Test against Bangladesh.

Dayal, who was once smashed for five consecutive sixes by Rinku Singh in an IPL match, has had a remarkable redemption with his India call-up.

(With PTI inputs)

Former Indian cricket team wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik snubbed both Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul while picking the top choices for cricketers who can succeed Rohit Sharma as the ‘all-format captain’. Instead, he opted for the two youngsters – Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant – as his options. Rohit remains the ODI and Test captain but following his retirement from the shortest format of the sport, Suryakumar Yadav piped Hardik Pandya to become the T20I captain. However, BCCI traditionally prefers to have an all-format captain and Karthik gave his reasons behind picking the two stars.

“Two players come straight into my mind who are young, who have the potential, and definitely can lead India in all the formats shortly. One Rishabh Pant, two Shubman Gill. Both of them are captains of IPL teams and have captained India. I do think in time, they have the chance to become the all-format captain for India as well,” said Karthik on the ‘HEY CB with DK’ show on Cricbuzz.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Test and ODI series against Bangladesh, star India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal shared his thoughts on the significance of domestic tournaments like the Duleep Trophy and his aspirations for India’s red-ball cricket season.

At just 22, Jaiswal has already made a name for himself with impressive performances on both domestic and international stages. When asked about his approach to domestic tournaments like the Duleep Trophy, he emphasized their importance in his development as a cricketer.

“It’s a great opportunity whenever we have the chance to play the Duleep or Ranji Trophy. I’m really looking forward to that, and I hope I’ll enjoy my game. I’ll try my best,” Jaiswal stated on JioCinemas

His enthusiasm and commitment to these tournaments highlight the critical role they play in honing his skills and preparing him for higher challenges.

As India gears up for the upcoming red-ball season, Jaiswal is well aware of the stakes involved, especially with the World Test Championship (WTC) in sight. He stressed the importance of every match and the need to perform consistently to ensure India remains competitive on the global stage.

“Every match is important because of the World Test Championship. You have to make sure you give your best as every win counts. Any opportunity to play for India is incredible, and representing the country is the biggest motivation that I have,” Jaiswal remarked.

India will be playing a two-match Test and three-game T20I series against Bangladesh at home from September 19 to October 12, in which Bangladesh spinners like Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, and many more could feature.

(With PTI inputs)

India B registered an emphatic 76-run victory over India A in the Duleep Trophy 2024-25 match on Sunday at M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. Chasing 275, India A were bundled out for 198 in their second innings as left-arm seamer Dayal (3/50), with able support from his colleagues Mukesh Kumar (2/50) and Navdeep Saini (2/41), led the India B attack. Amid this thrilling encounter, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who was playing for India B, grabbed everyone’s attention due to his hilarious antics.

In the 41st over of India A’s chase, Kuldeep Yadav smashed a boundary on the fifth delivery of Sai Kishor’s over. Seeing this, Pant, who was standing behind the stumps, asked all the fielders to come closer as he anticipated that Kuldeep would be taking a single on the last delivery.

As Pant made the fielding changes, Kuldeep told him that he will not be taking a single. Hearing this, Pant hilariously asked him to swear on his mother.

Rishabh Pant – sab aage aao, ye single lega (everyone come close, he’ll take the single).

Kuldeep Yadav – main nahi luga (I won’t take the single).

Pant – Maa Kasam khale nahi lega (take mom’s swear then). pic.twitter.com/Pmn6h55qxw

— Faiz Fazel (@theFaizFazel) September 8, 2024

“Main nahi lunga. (I won’t take a single),” said Kuldeep. “Maa Kasam khale nahi lega,” replied Pant.

Talking about the match, in the first session of the day, India B made 184 all out in their second essay to muster a handy overall lead of 274.

Earlier, resuming from their overnight score of 150 for six India B could only 34 runs more to the total before getting bundled out.

Pacer Akash, whom Sarfaraz Khan carted around for five fours in a row the previous day, found his mojo to add the scalps of Washington Sundar and Saini to complete a five-wicket haul (5/56).

“My preparation was really good with my father. I had done well in Ranji so I knew I could get an opportunity here. Every ball I was encouraging him from the non-striker’s end to play it out (his partnership with Saini). I think it was only the first or second time for me to take catches at short leg,” said batter Musheer Khan, who won the Player of the Match award.

(With PTI Inputs)

A hilarious moment was captured on Day 4 of the Duleep Trophy match between India A and India B in Bengaluru. Before the start of the final day’s play, India B star Rishabh Pant decided to poke fun at the India A players with a hilarious act. As India A captain Shubman Gill was giving a speech to the players, Pant sneaked his way into the team huddle. While Gill and some of the players were unfazed by Pant’s shenanigans, pacer Avesh Khan decided to have a conversation with the India B star.

Look who was there in the India A huddle before the start of the day’s play #DuleepTrophy| @IDFCFIRSTBank

Follow the match https://t.co/Oke5l0BJpq pic.twitter.com/MxL8Pv05dV

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 8, 2024

Here’s how internet reacted:

— The Pullshot (@The_pullshot) September 8, 2024

Agent Rishabh Pant

— Adi (@playerof11) September 8, 2024

Real imposter

— Rohit.Bishnoi (@The_Kafir_boy) September 8, 2024

Meanwhile, India B were closing in on a victory after reducing India A to 132/6 at Tea. KL Rahul was batting on 50 while Kuldeep Yadav was also not out on a score of 6.

Yash Dayal made early inroads with the ball after India B were bowled out for 184 in the second innings. Dayal claimed the wickets of Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel to put India A on the backfoot.

On Day 3, a counter-attacking 61 by wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, where he showed glimpses of his best self with the bat, helped India B extend their lead to 240 runs against India A at stumps.

On a day on which 14 wickets fell, Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar led the way for India B to take a first-innings lead of 90 after bowling out India A for 231 in 72.4 overs. In their second innings, India B lost three wickets quickly – two of which were taken by Akash Deep.

Under pressure, Pant stitched a stand of 72 runs off 55 balls for the fourth wicket with Sarfaraz Khan (46 off 36 balls) and went to get his first fifty on return to red-ball cricket. But with him and Nitish Kumar Reddy falling in the last 30 minutes meant India A got something to smile, even though India B have a big lead in hand now.

In the morning, resuming from 134/2 in 35 overs, India B found early success as Yash Dayal strangled Riyan Parag down leg, with Pant moving across to his left to complete the catch. Saini came in to trap Dhruv Jurel lbw, followed by Washington Sundar getting some sharp dip and turning to castle a paddle-sweeping K.L Rahul.

Shivam Dube was in hit-and-miss mode during his stay at the crease, before edging to a second slip off Mukesh, who then trapped Kuldeep Yadav lbw. Tanush Kotian showed some fight, but an inside edge popping to the short leg off R Sai Kishore ended his resistance. After Mukesh had Akash caught at short leg, Kishore ended India A’s innings in 72.4 overs by castling Khaleel Ahmed.

(With PTI Inputs)

A menace behind the sticks, India star Rishabh Pant just keeps on giving and giving, when it comes to on-field banter. On his return to red ball cricket after a gap of almost two years, Pant was on full banter mode during the Duleep Trophy match between India A and India B in Bengaluru. From teasing opposition batters to sneaking into their team huddle, Pant entertained fans with his antics on the field. However, best bit came during the final day of the match, with India B chasing a win against India A. The incident happened in the 44th over of India A’s chase with Kuldeep Yadav batting alongside Akash Deep.

Pant was seen playing some mind games with Kuldeep, who couldn’t help but laugh due to the tantrums thrown by the former.

Pant was constantly chirping behind the stumps, asking Kuldeep to take a single. He also asked his teammates to let him take a single, claiming that he has a plan in place to get Kuldeep out.

“Teri marzi hai, tu chakka maar ya single le. Bhai, lene do ise single. Iske liye bahut tagda plan banaya hai,” Pant was caught as saying on the stump mic.

“Thik hai bhai, kyun itna pareshan ho raha hai?” Kuldeep, who couldn’t control his laughter, told Pant.

“Out hoja jaldi,” Pant responded.

Rishabh Pant teasing Kuldeep Yadav#DuleepTrophy2024 pic.twitter.com/Pj5swF5l7T

— (@saad157614) September 8, 2024

He even went on to predict that Kuldeep will get out inside the next three overs.

Rishabh Pant – sab aage aao, ye single lega (everyone come close, he’ll take the single).

Kuldeep Yadav – main nahi luga (I won’t take the single).

Pant – Maa Kasam khale nahi lega (take mom’s swear then). #rishabhpant #DuleepTrophy #cricket #bcci pic.twitter.com/zd8d6CrGWP

— Shivam pachouri (@Shivampachour13) September 8, 2024

And two overs later, Kuldeep chipped Washington Sundar‘s effort straight to short extra-cover, with Musheer Khan taking a routine catch.

Following Kuldeep’s dismissal, Pant was over the moon and was heard as saying: “Yeah, out ho gaya out ho gaya”.

Rishabh Pant To Kuldeep at 45th over : “agle teen over me tu OUT hai”

47.1 : Kuldeep Yadav OUT

Pant : “yeaah out hogya out hogya” pic.twitter.com/tbM8r4ryXE

— Aryan (@NotThatAryann) September 8, 2024

Meanwhile, Musheer’s first-innings knock of 181 set the base for India B’s 76-run win over India A in the Duleep Trophy first round match.

On the opening day of the match, Musheer impressed everyone with his temperament and grit to score a magnificent 181 runs in 373 balls – his third first-class cricket century. He also hit 16 fours and five sixes, to take India B from 94/7 to 321 in first innings. The total was enough for them to take a 90-run lead and eventually win the game.

(With IANS Inputs)