'Jadeja confident in Rishabh Pant's abilities: Says he will only improve after comeback century'

Prior to the accident, Pant was known as one of the most devastating batters in Test cricket and had been India's most reliable player for more than two years. This reputation led to his immediate selection in the Test squad for the Bangladesh series, even though KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel had performed exceptionally well in his absence.

Former India batter Ajay Jadeja has said that it is pretty clear that Pant had no doubts in his mind that he was going to make his comeback the way he has. Jadeja said that Pant returning to Test cricket with a century was the biggest gain for India in this match. "If you have to pick just one thing, I will pick Rishabh Pant's knock because it has more emotions attached," he said on Colors Cineplex. "It's not that it made a huge difference tactically. I think it was Sanjay's (Manjrekar) line that Rishabh Pant is a rare gem. There are very few rare gems and it also depends on how you use them."

"There was no doubt in his mind but we had doubts in our minds, or the people outside. People who are not rare think average things. There was no doubt in his mind because you have seen it in his game. He hasn't changed his approach. He played the same way he used to play earlier. However, you get an assurance when you score a hundred."

Pant was dropped while on 72 off the bowling of Shakib Al Hasan by Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Jadeja noted that the 26-year-old did not drastically change his approach even after that.

"He showed yesterday (Saturday) as well that numbers don't matter to him. His approach remained the same after scoring a century as well. He could have gotten out earlier as well, a catch was dropped, he was a little lucky, and only brave people get the luck," said Jadeja.

Pant also played a crucial role in stopping India's collapse in the first innings. While Ravichandran Ashwin's sensational century and his 199-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja was what truly tipped the scales in India's favour, Pant put up a 62-run stand earlier in the day with Yashasvi Jaiswal which propped India up after they lost three wickets in the first 10 overs.

"His rarity is that he is always able to perform on the day when it's needed the most. When it's required, this rare gem will shine even more," Jadeja said.