'Gabba hero is back...' Twitter goes gaga as Rishabh Pant returns to India's test squad for Bangladesh series

Rishabh Pant last played test match against Bangladesh in Mirpur in December 2022.

On Sunday, September 8, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 16-member squad for the opening fixture of the two-match test series against Bangladesh, starting from September 19.

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who survived a life-threatening car accident in December 2022, made his much-awaited return to the test side for the first test against Bangladesh. The Southpaw’s last test was also against Bangladesh, just before his accident.

Post his recovery, Pant went through lengthy and arduous rehabilitation for almost a year. The wicketkeeper-batter then made a strong comeback in the Indian Premier League 2024 (446 runs in 13 outings) before getting picked for the title-winning ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in June.

Currently, Rishabh Pant is featuring in the Duleep Trophy 2024, where he is representing India B side. The left-handed batter also played a quick-fire knock of 61 runs in the second innings against India A in Bengaluru.

Seeing him picked in the Indian side for the first of the two-match test series against Bangladesh, cricket fans went wild for their “Gabba Hero” Rishabh Pant, who is all set to play his first test match after nearly 21 months.

Here are some of the reactions after Pant’s comeback:

India squad for first test against Bangladesh

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (Wk), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.

Bangladesh tour of India in 2024: Full Schedule

Two-match Test series:

September 19: IND vs BAN – First Test – Chennai

September 27: IND vs BAN – Second Test – Kanpur

Three-match T20I series:

October 06: IND vs BAN – First T20I – Gwalior

October 09: IND vs BAN – Second T20I – Delhi

October 12: IND vs BAN – Third T20I – Hyderabad

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