[Watch] Rishabh Pant's famous 'Come on Ash" chant returns and almost produces a wicket on Day 2 of IND vs BAN 1st Test 2024
Team India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was back with his famous 'Come on Ash' chants on the Day 2 of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. For the uninitiated, Pant's encouragement of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from behind the stumps with rallies of 'Come on Ash' became a fan favorite during India's tour of Australia in 2018-19.
The gloveman has not played in a Test match since Decemeber 2022 due to the multiple injuries suffered from his horrific car accident. Yet, on his first day back with the gloves in a Test, Pant could clearly be heard from the stump mic saying:
"Come on ash bhai, keep bowling in good areas, come on ash."
Rishabh Pant's chant was before the final ball of the 30th over and it almost produced a wicket as Ashwin got the delivery to pitch on middle-stump and turn viciously to beat Shakib Al Hasan all ends up.
Here is a video of Pant pushing Ashwin on and the lovely delivery from the off-spinner the ball after.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant enjoyed a fairly impressive return to Test cricket with the bat, scoring a crucial 52-ball 39 in the first innings. The southpaw entered with India in trouble at 34/3 and added a valuable 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Coming to Ashwin, the all-rounder saved India from the blushes, scoring a breathtaking 113 off 133 balls to help them recover from 144/6 to a formidable 376. It was his sixth Test century and second in his home ground in Chennai.
Rishabh Pant took the catch three balls later to dismiss dangerman Shakib Al Hasan
Only three balls after the above-mentioned moment, Rishabh Pant took his first catch upon Test return. The batter in question was again Shakib Al Hasan but Ravindra Jadeja was the bowler on this occasion.
The left-arm spinner forced a reverse sweep from Shakib that struck the batter's boot before lobing up to Pant for a straightforward catch. It was Jadeja's second wicket and the big one of Bangladesh's top-scorer in the first innings.
Barring Jadeja's two wickets, the Indian pacers did most of the damage, picking up eight scalps. While Jasprit Bumrah finished with four, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep chipped in with two each as India bowled Bangladesh out for a dismal 149.
The hosts decided not to enforce the follow-on and have begun their second innings with the bat, leading by a massive 227 runs after the first innings.