Follow UsIt was not the script Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hoped for, but it certainly turned out to be the ultimate redemption for Rishabh Pant after a horror season.
Across the first 13 matches of the season, in 12 innings, Pant had amassed 151 runs at an average of 13.73 and a strike rate of 107.1. He was, put simply, a liability and arguably the biggest reason for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) not making it to the playoffs. Pant’s first 13 games were up there as the single worst season by a player in IPL history, especially considering his reputation and price (INR 27 crore).
It was this backdrop that made his knock against RCB all the more special, giving Pant a redemption that he — and Indian cricket — so badly needed.
A century after seven years; 118* off 61 balls when he had managed 151 off 141 balls across the previous 12 innings in the season.
Across the first 12 innings of the season, you could almost sense from the very first ball that Pant’s knocks were going nowhere. He had no clarity of mind, his technique was all over the place and so was his balance. He looked like an amateur trying to copy Pant rather than being the actual Rishabh Pant himself.
Today in Lucknow, things seemed different from the get go.
On his very fourth ball, Pant unleashed a vintage Pant hit — a slog sweep off Yash Dayal — where he held his shape, made great connection and maintained perfect balance. Two balls later, he pulled off a slash over third man. And on the final ball of the over, he pulled one that rocketed to the fence. 19* off 8 balls and he was away for the first time in the season. As it turned out, he didn’t look back after the start.
Up until this particular game, Pant’s struggles — or utter lack of form — was highlighted by how hopeless he looked against spin. He’d faced 47 balls of spin and had struck at 87 while averaging 11. Mind you, this is someone regarded as one of the best ‘spin bashers’ in Test history.
The switch had to eventually flick some day, and to RCB’s dismay, it happened today. Off the 16 balls he faced against spin, the left-hander hammered 31 runs, plundering three fours and two humongous sixes. Just like that, the Pant of old was back.
It was a knock of the highest quality, and in typical Pant fashion, the left-hander brought up the milestone with an outrageous shot. An inexplicable hit, really: his head was somewhere, his hands were away from the body and his foot was planted. Yet somehow, he made the perfect connection and the ball raced to the boundary as Pant crossed 100 for just the second time ever in the IPL.
Fittingly, after a horror two months, Pant signaled that ‘he is back’ with the most Pant celebration ever: a front-flip, bringing the entire Ekana stadium to a standstill.
The ultimate showstopper returned, and while it might be too late from the perspective of the IPL, it’s nothing but good news for India ahead of the England Tests.
Watch out, England.