Wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who is returning to the long-form format for the first time after being injured in a road accident, scored a half-century on Saturday. Pant returned to the pavilion cheaply in the first innings but he played a strong innings of 61 runs in the second innings of India B in the Duleep Trophy. In the match against India A at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Pant scored his 20th first-class half-century in just 34 balls.
Rishabh Pant hit two sixes and nine fours during his half-century innings. Returning to red ball cricket for the first time since December 2022, he scored a half-century. Pant could not perform well in the first innings of the Duleep Trophy match. On Thursday, he was dismissed on a personal score of seven runs while trying to play a big shot against India A fast bowler Akash Deep. On Saturday, Pant did not show any carelessness and thrashed the India A bowlers fiercely.
Pant made a successful comeback to limited overs cricket after recovering from injuries but he has not yet played in the long-term format. He played his last red-ball match against Bangladesh in December 2022. He did not face any problem in returning to limited overs cricket but this four-day tournament is a different kind of challenge for him as he has to spend a long time on the field as a wicketkeeper and batsman.