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'Very Happy But...': Rishabh Pant's Childhood Coach Reveals Why 100 Against Bangladesh Is Not His Favourite Innings

India's Rishabh Pant (X.com)India's Rishabh Pant (X.com)

The foundation of every great player is not just their own hard work and resilience but also that of their coaches. Modern-day greats like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah are legends of their own game because of the basics of their life. One such player is Rishabh Pant, whose excellence, especially in the most extended format of the game, goes to the toil and hard work of him but also his childhood coach, Devender Sharma.

An inspiring story, to say the least, Rishab Pant's return to cricket is in itself a story for the history books. From fighting for his life to slamming a sensational hundred on his return to red-ball cricket for India, he has come a long way.

Reflecting on this, Pant's coach, Devender, praised him, expressed his happiness for him and emphasized the value of this performance.

"I am very happy for Rishabh. He could have got a hundred in the first innings also and I was a bit sad that he didn't get that. But today he was flawless. This hundred is an important innings for him as it's his first international ton since the comeback," he told Telegraph.

Pant's century proved pivotal, enabling India to set a formidable target of 515 for Bangladesh. His innings featured 13 fours and 4 sixes. Sharma, who has guided Pant since his pre-teen days at the Sonnet Club, talked about Pant's mental toughness and also said that despite his brilliant knock at Gabba, he feels that it is invaluable.

"After the accident and the kind of rehabilitation that he had to go through, this knock will be right up there. Test cricket isn't easy on the body after what Rishabh has had to go through. But all of us have now seen that his mental toughness is in a different league.

The series-winning knock at the Gabba will forever be special for everyone but if as a coach I am asked about this knock, it is invaluable and couldn't have come at a more opportune time," he concluded.

Rishabh Pant equals MS Dhoni's record

Pant's sixth Test century has tied him with former captain MS Dhoni for the most hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper in Test cricket. While Dhoni achieved this milestone in 90 Tests, Pant has done so in just 34 red-ball matches.