Rishabh Pant gears up for Test comeback with intense preparations
What's the story
Rishabh Pant, India's flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter, is all set to make his much-anticipated Test comeback. The player was seen in full flow during a practice session at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. His uninhibited strokeplay lit up the team's training ahead of the opening Test against South Africa starting on Friday. Pant has been out of action since July after suffering a toe injury from a Chris Woakes delivery during the fourth Test against England in Manchester.
Comeback journey
Pant's return to competitive cricket
Pant made his return to competitive cricket with unofficial Tests for India A against South Africa A in Bengaluru. He scored a remarkable 90 in the first 'unofficial Test and followed it up with a solid 65 in the second game after being retired hurt on 17. Now, back with Team India, Pant has picked up from where he left off, batting freely against both pace and spin during practice sessions.
Training details
Pant's strokeplay during practice
As per Sportstar, during his practice session, Pant faced Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja with his trademark range of strokes. He played everything from reverse ramps over slips to one-handed lofts down the ground. The player also danced down to spinners, executing inside-out drives over extra cover and sweeps from outside off to midwicket with precise footwork and wrist control.
Team training
Full-fledged practice session for Team India
Pant started his session with about 15 minutes of wicketkeeping drills, standing close to the stumps. He was seemingly preparing for the low bounce and carry expected in subcontinental conditions. The session was a full-fledged one for Team India, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul starting proceedings in alternate nets against pace and spin. Dhruv Jurel, who is set to play as a specialist batter, also had a long hit alongside Pant.
Information
A look at Rishabh Pant's FC and Test stats
From 75 First-Class games, Pant has scored 5,561 runs at a sensational average of 47.12. He has hit 13 tons and 29 fifties. As many as 3,427 of his runs have come for India in Test cricket from 47 matches at 44.50.