CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - Nearly two years after being dragged out of a flipped car engulfed in flames, India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant smashed a typically belligerent hundred in his test comeback and professed his love for the format.
What was to be a surprise visit to his mother in December 2022 went horribly wrong when the car Pant, was driving on that fateful Friday morning hit a central divider, flipped over and caught fire.
He underwent multiple surgeries, wondering if he would ever play the game again before returning to competitive cricket in the Indian Premier League this year.
Now 26, he was part of the India squad that won the T20 World Cup in June, but doubts lingered whether he could cope with the rigour of five-day cricket ahead of the two-test series against Bangladesh.
In his first test since that horrific accident, Pant made 39 before exploding in the second innings, smashing 109 off 128 balls to equal idol Mahendra Singh Dhoni's record of six test hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper.
After reaching the mark on Saturday, Pant looked skywards and blew a kiss in a muted celebration.
"It was emotional because coming back I wanted to score in each and every match, which I couldn't do" in the first innings, Pant said after India beat Bangladesh by 280 runs in the series opener on Sunday.
"But coming back to test cricket, where I belong most, is great.
"I enjoyed batting out there and just got a little bit emotional. But at end of the day, just being on the field gives me more pleasure than doing anything else."
Pant's ability to produce match-defining knocks makes him an asset, and it is hardly surprising he boasts unconditional backing of the team.
Before the match against Bangladesh, India head coach Gautam Gambhir made it clear that the likes of Dhruv Jurel, who impressed behind the wickets in the test series against England, will have to wait for their turn.
India captain Rohit Sharma applauded Pant's return to the long format.
"Look, he's been through some really tough times and the way he has managed himself through those tough times was superb to watch," Rohit said.
"This is the format he loves the most. Look, for us, it was never about what is he going to do with the bat. We always knew what he had with the bat and with the gloves as well.
"It was just about getting him back in the game and giving him that game-time.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by William Mallard)
