Akram expressed relief over Pant’s comeback to the longest format of the game. (PTI/AP)
Former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram has hailed Rishabh Pant on his comeback to the longest format during the India-Bangladesh Test that saw the India keeper-batter score his sixth hundred in the format.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Akram said, “Look at Pant’s performance, the miracle that he has performed by showing he is superhuman by returning from his tragedy. The way his accident happened, we were all worried in Pakistan, I was worried and tweeted about him.”
Pant was part of India’s Test squad for the first time since December 2022 when he met with a car accident and was ruled out of professional cricket action until making a comeback in the Indian Premier League this year.
“The way he used to play in Test cricket, the way he performed in Australia with the century then. The way he batted against England, playing a reverse-sweep against James Anderson in Test cricket, even Pat Cummins. He’s special,” Akram said.
“Especially what he has been through in that horrific accident, coming back from that, how mentally strong must that boy be. That’s a story to be told for generations and generations, in my opinion, to motivate young people of the world. You can come back the way Pant did. He came back and averaged 40 in the IPL, 446 runs at a strike rate of 155, woh miracle baccha hai (he’s a miracle kid),” he added.
Pant scored 109 in the second innings of the Chennai Test to help inspire India to a 280-run win. The 26-year-old conceded feeling emotional upon his comeback to the format.
“Definitely it was emotional, I was looking to score runs in each and every game. Coming back to Test cricket where I belong the most, being on the field gives me pleasure more than anything else,” Pant said after the match.
