Jitters and hope - Rishabh Pant's comeback innings was exactly what you expected

The cricket fraternity's anticipation of Rishabh Pant's comeback was quite noticeable, as he drew a terrific response on Saturday. The Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper received a rousing reception from the crowd, when he set foot in Mullanpur against the Punjab Kings for their IPL 2024 opener. There was a sense of happiness among fans, which was quite palpable as witnessed on the TV sets.

The social media went abuzz with the return of Pant, whom they had missed for the past 15 months after he sustained a life-threatening accident on December 30, 2022. Most fans termed it as a personal victory and lauded Pant's inspirational story, while calling him a fighter.

It never looked like Rishabh Pant was making a comeback after a long hiatus. He flexed his arms to reach the widish delivery to only put it away towards the point region. The next ball exuded confidence when he put forward his front leg, like his usual self, to nudge the ball towards the mid-wicket and open his account.

The urge to break the shackles was visible in Pant's foot movement, who charged towards the bowlers in the next few deliveries. The left-hander slammed a boundary off Rahul Chahar's half-tracker to get things underway.

Pant's moment arrived when he hit an elegant cover drive off Harshal Patel to stamp his authority and announce his arrival. The onlookers were in awe of Pant's class and wanted him to stay longer at the crease. However, as cheeky Pant tried to guide the slower bouncer past the keeper, he was caught by Bairstow at the backward point region.

Although Rishabh Pant's innings came to an end on 18 off 13, it was a replica of a batter, who never shied away from taking risks and maximised his scoring potential.

Lightning Fast Pant also gave his fans a moment to cheer on his return to IPL, as he stumped Punjab Kings keeper Jitesh Sharma quickly. The dismissal was another example of Pant reminding the cricket fraternity of his skills behind the stumps.

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Is Rishabh Pant a necessity for Team India in T20 World Cup 2024?

With an ambitious, never-say-die attitude, Rishabh Pant has been one of the finest wicketkeeper-batters the country has ever produced. Over the years, Pant's belief in his abilities has put him at the forefront of Team India on overseas soil.

The southpaw was the key orchestrator of "Toota hai Gabba Ka Ghamand," when he led Team India to breach the Gabba fortress in January 2021. Although the T20 World Cup 2024 venues, the USA and the West Indies will have a slow-paced nature, Pant has displayed his ability to turn the tide in India's favor with his unconventional style.

Rishabh Pant will battle it out with Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Jitesh Sharma for a first-choice keeper slot for the big-ticket event. Although all three players have a credible resume, it will take a lot for them to fill in for Pant, who has proven his abilities in crunch moments with unmatchable fearlessness. When in red-hot form, the 26-year-old can torment the bowlers to the hilt.

Certainly, he will be a necessity if Team India needs to end their ICC T20 WC trophy drought after 17 years.