India's playing 11 from Rishabh Pant's Test debut in 2018 - where are they now?
Six years ago, on August 18, 2018, a young and dynamic Rishabh Pant made his Test debut for India against England at Nottingham. It was the third game of the five-match Test series.
India were 0-2 down having lost the opening Test and the second Test as well. It was a must-win situation for the visitors to keep their hopes in the series alive. In a game with high stakes and added pressure, Rishabh Pant made his debut in the longest format of the game.
Batting first, India scored 329 runs in the first innings. The bowlers then backed it up with an impressive display with the ball as England were bowled out for 161 runs in the second innings. India took a healthy 168-run lead.
The third innings saw the visitors pile on 352/7 (declared), setting England a massive 521-run target. The hosts were skittled out for 317 as India completed a dominating 203-run triumph.
Here is a look at India's playing XI from Rishabh Pant's Test debut back in 2018 and where the players are now.
Openers - Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul
Shikhar Dhawan opened the batting alongside KL Rahul in the third Test. Dhawan had an average outing, scoring 79 runs in two innings. Rahul did not have an impact with the bat either, managing only 59 runs from two innings.
Dhawan has been dropped from all formats and is currently a part of the Punjab Kings in the IPL. Meanwhile, Rahul is still an all-format player for India. However, he has had his fair share of struggles to cement his spot in the team at the moment.
Middle Order - Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, and Rishabh Pant (wk)
Cheteshwar Pujara failed in the first innings but bounced back with a crucial 208-ball 72 in the second innings. Virat Kohli led from the front with a 97 in the first innings and a brilliant 103 in the second. Rahane supported him well with 81 runs in the first innings as the duo stitched together a vital partnership.
Hardik Pandya had a memorable outing, picking up five wickets in the first innings and scoring an unbeaten 52 with the bat in the second innings. Debutant Rishabh Pant could not make much impact with the bat, scoring only 25 runs from two innings. However, he took seven catches behind the stumps in the entire Test.
Both Pujara and Rahane are not in the scheme of things as far as India's Test team is concerned at the moment. Pujara plays domestic cricket for Saurashtra and is seen in country cricket as well. Rahane plays domestic cricket for Mumbai, county cricket, and is a part of the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
Virat, Hardik, and Rishabh Pant are members of the current Indian setup. Kohli has retired from T20Is while Hardik has not been a part of the Test side for a long time. Rishabh Pant, making a comeback after his injury, was a part of India's 2024 T20 World Cup-winning side and will be keen to return to the red-ball setup as well.
Bowlers - Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
Ravichandran Ashwin did not have much of a role to play with the ball and grabbed a solitary wicket in the third Test. Ishant Sharma picked up four wickets in the whole game while Shami managed only two wickets.
Jasprit Bumrah led the charge with seven wickets in the entire game, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings.
Although not officially retired, Ishant Sharma has not been a part of the Indian setup since 2021. He currently plays in the IPL, representing the Delhi Capitals. Ashwin is a regular member of the Test team and plays for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
Shami has been out with injury for a while now and his return is much anticipated. He is a part of India's Test and ODI setup. Jasprit Bumrah is the only bowler who still plays all three formats for India.