Can Rishabh Pant replicate his Gabba heroics in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy?

Rishabh Pant has been the talk of the town since his return to the Indian national cricket team after a horrific car accident last year when he was traveling to his hometown to meet his family. Due to this, the southpaw batter was out of the game for almost two years, followed by a severe injury for which he even had to undergo surgery. It would not be wrong to say that no one expected the Delhi-born batter to make a return to international cricket, but he proved everyone wrong by making an incredible comeback as the first-choice wicket-keeper for the Indian team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Despite being bedridden for six months and unable to walk, the left-handed batter first made his return in the Indian Premier League as the captain of the Delhi-based franchise, finishing the season as the leading run-scorer for the team. This performance earned him a spot in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which India won after a long wait of 17 years under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. Pant played a crucial role for India with his attacking shots and safe hands behind the stumps.

As the Indian team begins preparations for the next ICC challenge, the ICC World Test Championship, the Delhi Capitals captain will play a key role in the team as an attacking batsman capable of shifting gears based on the match situation. Before his injury, we witnessed this in Australia when Pant played one of the greatest Test innings at the Gabba, which is still remembered as one of the finest knocks by an Indian batter on Australian soil.

We are talking about this because, after announcing his return in style with a hundred in the home series against Bangladesh in Chennai, the star batter is all set for the Australian series, where the Indian team will play a 5-match Test series as part of the ICC World Test Championship, scheduled for 2025.

It has been more than two years since Rishabh Pant’s iconic knock at the Gabba, where he broke the shackles of the Australian team, leading India to their first victory at that ground in 30 years of Test cricket. Looking at Pant's current form, where he has consistently scored runs and played with confidence, we can say he is ready for another show against the Aussies in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Currently, the Indian team is leading the 2-match Test series against Bangladesh after winning the opening game by a margin of 280 runs. In the second innings of the first Test, Pant leveled up. India will play the second Test of the series starting on 27th September at Green Park in Kanpur. After the Bangladesh series, Rohit Sharma and his team will face New Zealand in another home Test series next month