Rishabh Pant had no problems getting back into the groove in Test cricket as he scored his sixth century to power India to a 280-run win over Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. It was Pant's first Test since recovering from a car crash he had suffered in December 2022. The incident put Pant's career on hold for more than a year and he last played a Test match earlier in that month against Bangladesh itself.

Before the crash, Pant was regarded among the most destructive batters in Test cricket and was India's most consistent performer for over two years. It hence meant that he was selected in the Test squad for the Bangladesh series as soon as he was available despite KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel performing exceptionally well in the role in Tests India played without Pant.

Former India batter Ajay Jadeja has said that it is pretty clear that Pant had no doubts in his mind that he was going to make his comeback the way he has. Jadeja said that Pant returning to Test cricket with a century was the biggest gain for India in this match. "If you have to pick just one thing, I will pick Rishabh Pant's knock because it has more emotions attached," he said on Colors Cineplex. "It's not that it made a huge difference tactically. I think it was Sanjay's (Manjrekar) line that Rishabh Pant is a rare gem. There are very few rare gems and it also depends on how you use them."

"There was no doubt in his mind but we had doubts in our minds, or the people outside. People who are not rare think average things. There was no doubt in his mind because you have seen it in his game. He hasn't changed his approach. He played the same way he used to play earlier. However, you get an assurance when you score a hundred."

'Only brave people get luck'

Pant was dropped while on 72 off the bowling of Shakib Al Hasan by Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Jadeja noted that the 26-year-old did not drastically change his approach even after that.

"He showed yesterday (Saturday) as well that numbers don't matter to him. His approach remained the same after scoring a century as well. He could have gotten out earlier as well, a catch was dropped, he was a little lucky, and only brave people get the luck," said Jadeja.

Pant also played a crucial role in stopping India's collapse in the first innings. While Ravichandran Ashwin's sensational century and his 199-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja was what truly tipped the scales in India's favour, Pant put up a 62-run stand earlier in the day with Yashasvi Jaiswal which propped India up after they lost three wickets in the first 10 overs.

"His rarity is that he is always able to perform on the day when it's needed the most. When it's required, this rare gem will shine even more," Jadeja said.

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