IND vs BAN: Rishabh Pant reveals the ‘quality of cricket’ that made him take charge of Bangladesh’s pitch

Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has revealed that his moment of levity while leading Bangladesh in the Chennai Test was motivated by his desire to improve the “quality of cricket”. During India’s thumping 280-run win over Bangladesh, one of the funniest moments came on the third day when Pant, while batting, was seen helping Bangladesh prepare their pitch.

After the match, Pant explained that this decision was influenced by a conversation he had with former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja. According to Pant, Jadeja had advised him to always aim to improve the overall quality of the game, regardless of the opponent or the situation. Pant explained that when he noticed two fielders in the same area and none at mid-wicket, he suggested to the Bangladesh players that it would be necessary to move to the vacant position.

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“First of all, I keep talking to Ajay bhai off the field. He says ‘the quality of cricket has to keep improving’. No matter when you are playing and who you are playing against, I saw that there was no fielder there (in the middle of the field). I saw two fielders in the same area. So I told them to move a fielder to the midfield position,” Rishabh said.

Pant made a remarkable comeback to Test cricket in Chennai, scoring 109 off 128 balls. His aggressive innings, combined with Shubman Gill’s calm hitting, helped India recover from a difficult situation at 81/3 in the second innings. In the middle of the match, the 26-year-old was also back to his best with his on-field antics. He was seen chatting with Bangladeshi fielders on several occasions, and also his usual antics behind the stumps while keeping for India.

While Gill held his ground with composure and determination, Pant took the initiative to attack Bangladesh’s bowling right from the start. He bowled at a high strike rate of 85.16, which provided the momentum India needed to build a substantial lead. Together, Pant and Gill propelled India to a second-innings total of 287, setting a towering target of 515 for Bangladesh, which ultimately proved unattainable for the Najmul Shanto-led side.