Not Virat Kohli: Saba Karim claims Rishabh Pant 'makes watching cricket enjoyable'

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's remarkable comeback to Test cricket was a significant highlight of India’s dominant 280-run victory over Bangladesh in the opening Test of the ongoing two-match Test series at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Rishabh Pant’s incredible performance as the wicketkeeper-batter has solidified his potential to be a key figure in world cricket for the coming decade, and Saba Karim compared the impact the 26-year-old has made with the legacy left behind by Indian legends like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli.

Saba Karim praises Rishabh Pant's remarkable Test comeback

India’s win in the first Test was comprehensive, but it was Rishabh Pant's sensational century that stood out against Bangladesh. After contributing a solid 39 runs in the first inning, he returned with an outstanding 109-run knockoff just 128 balls in the second.

His explosive batting played a crucial role in setting a daunting target of 515 runs for Bangladesh, which proved too much for the tourists. This century was special for the left-handed batter, as he played his first Test match since December 2022.

This comeback century marked his sixth in Test cricket, equaling Dhoni’s record for the most hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter. Meanwhile, Karim described Pant’s remarkable comeback as the biggest story of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh.

The former Indian selector said that just like India felt blessed to have Tendulkar, Dhoni, and Virat during their respective eras, the same thing he anticipates for Rishabh Pant, thanks to his skill set both as a wicketkeeper and a batter.

The biggest story of this Test match was Pant's comeback: Saba Karim

Saba Karim further mentioned that his ability to entertain while simultaneously delivering results has made him a fan favorite and a key part of Indian cricket.

Saba Karim was quoted as saying on Colors Cineplex: “The biggest story of this Test match was Rishabh Pant's comeback in Test cricket, which everyone was waiting for. I might be saying a big thing. There was a time when we used to say that we were blessed to see Sachin Tendulkar's era, and then MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli's phases came.”

The cricket pundit further said, “We are honored to have a player like Rishabh Pant in our team who makes watching cricket enjoyable, whether he is at the crease or behind the wickets. I feel we will repeatedly be taking Rishabh Pant's name in the upcoming decade. Very few international players have the skill set, mentality, and clarity this player has.”

This was the right definition of a comeback: Saba Karim on Rishabh Pant's memorable comeback

In the end, Karim insisted that Pant's return to Test cricket was a brilliant example of a true comeback. He said that Pant yet again proved his mettle as the wicketkeeper-batter in Tests while mentioning how many were curious about how he would perform and how he would handle the pressure and nerves of the game after such an extended absence.

Saba signed off by saying, “This has been a splendid comeback and was the right definition of a comeback. When he was returning after such a long time, everyone was thinking about how he would keep and bat in the longer format and how he would be in terms of nerves. However, he dispelled all those thoughts not only with the way he batted but, in my opinion, how he kept as well.”