By Shamik Chakrabarty in Guwahati
In 2018, he came here as a callow 20-year-old to make his ODI debut. Circa 2025, and he is now India’s 38th Test captain. Guwahati has been kind to Rishabh Pant.
Fortune has had a habit of playing peek-a-boo with Pant. After his near-fatal car accident in December 2022, it was almost unthinkable that he would return to the international fold again. The southpaw was courage and resilience personified. Not only did he return to competitive cricket, he gradually regained his peak form. Then, a Chris Woakes toe-crusher played spoilsport again at Old Trafford in the summer. A foot fracture ruled him out of the home Tests against the West Indies that preceded the ongoing series against South Africa. Shubman Gill’s neck injury, sustained in Kolkata, has now taken Pant to the hot seat in a game that India must win. Welcome to the elite club.
“A one-off match is not the best scenario as a captain… but whenever you are leading your country, it is the proudest moment, especially in Test cricket. I’m thankful to the BCCI for giving me this opportunity,” Pant said at the pre-match press conference, adding: “At the same time, I don’t want to think about it too much. I don’t want to take that undue pressure of captaincy in my mind.”
Fans had a sneak peek into Pant’s captaincy during South Africa’s second innings at Eden Gardens. Not starting with Jasprit Bumrah from one end on the third morning was an error, and Temba Bavuma and Corbin Bosch took the opportunity to stitch a 44-run eighth-wicket partnership. As it turned out, it was a game-changing one. Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, however, defended the decision after the Kolkata Test. Today, Pant also chose to stick to his guns. “The thought process for us was to go with the spinners from both ends and we believed that it would be a successful ploy,” he said.
But what is his captaincy style, is it a conventional approach, or is it more instinctive? “My captaincy style is conventional with a mix of out-of-the-box thinking,” the wicketkeeper-batsman replied to the question. Make no mistake, Pant’s captaincy would be like his batting, one can expect the unexpected.
Guwahati would be hosting a Test for the first time. An endeavour that started in 2019 has come to fruition. In an interview with RevSportz, Devajit Saikia, the BCCI secretary, conveyed his gratitude to his predecessor in the cricket board and the current ICC chair Jay Shah for making this happen. The organisers expect a decent turnout, in fact a full house on Sunday. From India’s point of view, though, they are staring at something unprecedented. If the hosts lose here, they would suffer two home series whitewashes in a little over 12 months. Even a draw would give South Africa the series win and it would be humiliating for India. “It’s been a tough Test match, the last one, and coming out of it we just want to do whatever is required to win this Test,” said Pant.
By the look of it, the ACA Stadium pitch doesn’t appear to be a lottery surface. Some grass has been kept to bind the top soil and unlike Kolkata, it could be a slow burn. Pant agreed. “This wicket will play better. Definitely it is a better wicket to bat on. Obviously it will eventually turn after a few days, but it is going to be a good contest,” the stand-in skipper observed.
It has been a chance meeting with captaincy for Pant with Gill being rendered hors de combat. The flamboyant left-hander is ready to roll up his sleeves.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news