Watch: Incredible Reception From Chennai Crowd as Rishabh Pant Returns to Test Cricket After 629 Days

Chennai knows how to greet cricket stars. Ask MS Dhoni. Every time he has walked out to bat for Chennai Super Kings in the past few seasons, the crowd goes berserk.

And their love isn’t limited to Thala.

On Thursday, Rishabh Pant got a taste of Chepauk’s love for India cricketers when he made his long-awaited return to Test. Pant walked out to bat to take guard after India suffered a top-order collapse during the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai on Thursday.

And the moment he entered the field, the fans who had assembled at the famous venue, let out a loud cheer to welcome Pant who was playing his first Test after a gap of 629 days.

For those uninitiated, Pant suffered horrific injuries in a car crash in December 2022. The severity of his injuries was such that he was airlifted from a local hospital in Dehradun to Mumbai for treatment.

As a result, the India star missed competitive cricket for a significant period that included the entirety of IPL 2023, final of ICC World Test Championship, Asia Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup.

He though showed stunning recovery and surprised even the medical staff that was looking after him by making a remarkable return to competitive cricket through IPL 2024 where he captained Delhi Capitals. And then he was part of India’s successful campaign at the 2024 T20 World Cup too.

Meanwhile, Pant produced a solid innings of 39 off 52 in a vital partnership for the fourth wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal to help India neutralise the early damage they endured courtesy Hasan Mahmud’s triple-blow.

The day belonged to Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who guided India out of a tricky spot with their unbeaten partnership of 195 for the seventh wicket. Ashwin scored a sparkling century – the sixth of his storied Test career – while Jadeja is unbeaten on 86, eyeing a ton of his own.

India were 339/6 in 80 overs at the close of play on Day 1.