Ajay Jadeja highlights Rishabh Pant's Rohit Sharma-like quality: "Numbers don't matter to him"

Former India National Cricket Team player Ajay Jadeja recently highlighted a great Rohit Sharma-like quality that the star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has in him.

Pant finally made his Test comeback in the first match of the two-match series against Bangladesh in Chennai. He delivered an amazing performance and it never looked like he was out of action in the longest format of the game for over 600 days.

In the first innings, Rishabh Pant scored 39 runs, but his runs were extremely crucial as India had lost Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill for low scores. Pant stitched together 62 runs with Yashasvi Jaiswal and didn't let India go under tremendous pressure.

However, he saved his best for the second innings as the wicketkeeper-batsman blasted an amazing century in his comeback Test. Pant finished his innings with 109 runs off 128 balls, with 13 fours and 4 sixes, to equal MS Dhoni's all-time record for most tons (6) by an Indian wicketkeeper-batsman in Tests.

Meanwhile, during a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Ajay Jadeja picked Rishabh Pant's batting masterclass as the biggest positive for India from the first Test. He elaborated:

"If you have to pick just one thing, I will pick Rishabh Pant's knock because it has more emotions attached. It's not that it made a huge difference tactically. I think it was Sanjay's (Manjrekar) line that Rishabh Pant is a rare gem. There are very few rare gems and it also depends on how you use them.

"There was no doubt in his mind but we had doubts in our minds, or the people outside. People who are not rare think average things. There was no doubt in his mind because you have seen it in his game. He hasn't changed his approach. He played the same way he used to play earlier. However, you get an assurance when you score a hundred."

Numbers don't matter to him - Ajay Jadeja on Rishabh Pant

Ajay Jadeja further said that Rishabh Pant is just like Rohit Sharma as he doesn't play for milestones and focuses solely on helping his team win. He said:

"He showed yesterday (Saturday) as well that numbers don't matter to him. His approach remained the same after scoring a century as well. He could have gotten out earlier as well, a catch was dropped, he was a little lucky, and only brave people get the luck."

Ajay Jadeja also said that Rishabh Pant always had self-belief, and with his ton, he ended the doubts that were in the minds of his fans. He elaborated:

"I feel the doubts were only in our minds or the fans' minds because when you love someone, you think something wrong should not happen. He is a positive guy. Now that he has got a start like this, he will only get better.

"He has not yet got to bat where you needed him a lot when you couldn't have saved the game without him. His rarity is that he is always able to perform on the day when it's needed the most. When it's required, this rare gem will shine even more."