India had lost the 2019 World Cup semi-final to New Zealand in Manchester, and there was doom and gloom all round. Sourav Ganguly and I went out to have a quiet dinner at an Indian restaurant, Ziya Grill on Curry Mile, and Ganguly said all of a sudden, “In the next 10 years, India’s real big star will be Rishabh Pant. You all are not seeing it today, but he is your next big star.”
I have always respected Sourav’s understanding of the game and hence kept quiet. But at that point, there was little to back what he was saying. Pant had not made much of the opportunities that had come his way, and part of the criticism directed at him was fair.
Since then, Pant has made giant strides. Test hundreds in Australia, England and South Africa, and a miraculous comeback from a life-threatening accident – Pant, at 25, has seen it all. And now, Pant 2.0 is all set to fulfil Sourav’s prophecy – he is indeed the next big star for India in red-ball cricket.
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At the start of the Test match, I had written that Pant would be one I would be keeping a close eye on. His comeback is key to India’s chances in Australia, and how Pant dealt with the rigours of red-ball cricket was going to be a defining marker. Suffice to say he has looked fantastic in Chennai. With the bat, the very same flair and dominance. And behind the stumps, safe and sound. If there is any real gain from the first Test, it is Pant’s return in whites.
If Jasprit Bumrah and Pant are at their best in Australia, India could well have the upper hand in the series. This is because an hour of Pant is good enough to take the game away from Australia. Be it against Nathan Lyon on a turning pitch, or Pat Cummins on a surface with bounce, Pant will surely counterattack. And in conditions which offer less movement, he is the best the world has.
Maybe it’s time to say he is the best red-ball keeper-batter in the history of Indian cricket. While MS Dhoni remains miles ahead in the white-ball arena, in Tests, Pant has done enough to take the mantle from his hero. And the best part of it is that he is just starting out again!
Two things stood out in the Pant effort in Chennai. Even when he came in at 34-3 in the first innings, he did not look under pressure. Rather, he was at ease and played his natural game. And in the second innings, he was determined to not let things slide. The fact that he converted a steady start into a hundred could well define the new Pant. And if that’s the case, he could well fulfil what Ganguly said five years ago, and be Indian cricket’s biggest star over the next few years.
Also Read: Rishabh Pant’s century, and a merry song of courage and resilience