Rishabh Pant’s return will bring back the energy and enthusiasm
In a season of highs and lows in Indian cricket, news of Rishabh Pant returning to competitive cricket after three months is more than welcome. For those who watched, rather painfully, Pant taking a blow on his toe from Englishman Chris Woakes, it was scary, in July 2025. The ball and impact on the toe had decapitated Pant. He needed to be taken off the field of play with help. Yet, even as one thought Pant would be in hospital and be put back on the flight to India, he came out to bat in that fourth Test at OId Trafford. That he still ran singles and hung around, it was the very definition of conquering pain.
It’s easy to say, doctors administer pain killer injections which gives relief. No, that works for a few hours, only when you are resting, or recuperating after a procedure. In this case, Pant’s entire body weight was coming onto his legs, where the fractured toe was in focus and an important pressure point. Had it been any other cricketer, he/she may have preferred to stay in the dressing room or the hotel. No, not Pant.
Pant the fighter, Pant the warrior put on his warrior helmet and came out to bat. That he tried and stood there for India defines him as a soldier. The battle front may not have been the same as a war zone in a conventional sense, yet, to face fast bowlers, not fear, and play, sums up the persona of Rishabh Pant. It is over three months since the time Pant’s toe went inside a cast, known as plaster in common lingo. He is still young and bubbly, turned 28 earlier this month.
For some, Pant’s journey has been so fast-paced, he appears to have been around for a much longer period of time. Definitely, he is at a stage, where the body is able to deal with trauma and bounce back faster. So, when he leads India A against South Africa towards the end of October, what one will watch for is not skill but also will. This ability to keep fighting has defined Rishabh Pant.
Just to jog the readers’ memory, when Rishabh Pant met with that fateful high-speed car crash in December 2022 near Dehradun, it was crazy. Those who saw images from that car crash and Pant being rescued feared the worst. After all, it was near-death, as the impact of the crash could have made it fatal. Pant received immediate attention. And the way he was handled by a team of medical experts involving knee surgery in Mumbai is well-chronicled. In sports, the surgical procedure is just one part. How the athlete receives rehab and bounces back is the key, with strengthening a key aspect. Pant had put on weight at that time, in 2022/2023. Yet, doubts persisted if he could get his full range of motion back in the knee. It is one thing just to be a batter. In keeping, the knees are constantly under ‘pressure,’ That Pant did bounce back and keep wickets for India, last year in the ICC T20 World Cup and also in Tests has been defining.
He is part of the leadership role in Tests, being deputy to Shubman Gill as well. How he bounces back is important, as the kind of energy Pant carries into the dressing room and among blokes in the side is high energy. He brings in zest and zing, and an audacious sense of humour. Above all, to be in that key position as keeper allows him to survey the field and also help the captain with DRS review.
So, as much as Pant missed cricket, cricket also missed Rishabh Pant. There are some characters who bring back positive energy in tons. That’s what fans look forward to from the southpaw as he leads Indian A against South Africa from October 30 to November 9.
