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Indian wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant's childhood coach Devender Sharma lavished praise on the left-handed batter after he smashed a century in the first Test match against Bangladesh at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Pant who was featuring in a Test match after December 2022 scored 109 runs in the second innings of the ongoing Test match against Bangladesh which helped India to take a lead of 514 runs.
Pant's childhood coach said that he could have got a hundred in the first innings as well but it was a bit sad that he was unable to get that. Pant was out of cricketing action after having a near-fatal accident in December 2022.
"Obviously I am very happy for Rishabh. In fact, he could have got a hundred in the first innings also and I was a bit sad that he didn't get that," Devendra, who has mentored Pant since his pre-teen days at the iconic Sonnet Club told PTI after the end of third day's play.
"But today he was flawless. This hundred is an important innings for him as it's his first international ton since comeback."
Pant has now matched MS Dhoni's record of six Test hundreds, achieving this milestone in just his 34th red-ball international match, compared to the 90 played by the former India captain. Additionally, he has had several innings where he fell just short, getting out in the 90s more than half a dozen times.
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Devender also said that Test cricket is not easy for Pant after his accident. It was his hard work and determination that made it possible for him.
“After the accident and the kind of rehabilitation that he had to go through, this knock will be right up there. Test cricket isn't easy on the body after what Rishabh has had to go through. But all of us have now seen that his mental toughness is in a different league” stated Devender.
"If he is determined about something he will do it. He was hardly in Delhi, he mainly trained at the NCA and then played Duleep Trophy. I believe the NCA nets was for short duration but it was quality training before he played Duleep and gave a glimpse of his long format fitness," Devender said.
Devender who is also a part of Delhi's women's selection committee this year apart from being associated with High Performance Training of the state team last year also reckoned that Pant is looking fitter than ever. He further explained by giving the example of his shot selection.
"The kind of physical work that Rishabh has put in his phenomenal. If you go look at his physique before the accident and now, he is still the same, a strong lad but just got leaner. He is looking fitter than ever. He is still the same aggressive player but if you look at his shot selection and the deliveries that he selected, you will know what I am saying," said Devender.
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