Rishabh Pant reminisces on Gabba Test heroics: ‘I didn’t even know how to react when we won the game’

The 2021 Gabba Test between India and Australia has been entrenched into the annals of cricketing history along with the name of Rishabh Pant who played an unbeaten 89 which helped India win the series 2-1. This was the same series where in the first Test India had suffered the ignominy of being 36 all out and then a depleted squad made a remarkable comeback to clinch the series at Gabba.

Two years on from that historic feat, Pant opened up to Star Sports in an exclusive chat about the final Test match in the series.

“That’s just the thing, cricket is not just a game, it’s an emotion. Everyone who was watching the match got so involved, I mean it wasn’t madness; every defense and every shot were cheered for by the team. To play such a match is a different feeling altogether. That everyone has unified and come together to play, especially Ashwin’s performance,” he said.

The wicketkeeper batter who is currently recuperating from a horrific accident suffered in 2022, revealed that it was a dream come true to play a pivotal role in winning the series, especially after not featuring in the first match.

He said, “I didn’t even know how to react when we won the game. I was playing the game with the desire to win, but I didn’t want to get excited too much. It was a fun game to play, but it was very important for me because I didn’t get to play in One Days or T20’s; even Tests didn’t have a spot for me. So I thought to myself that this cannot happen; I have an expectation from myself that you have to be strong. And I didn’t even play the first match, so it was like a dream come true that I had won the game myself; I had won the Series. So I was telling myself that I need to chase this feeling. This is where self-belief comes into play, that when no one is believing in you, you still trust yourself and your abilities,” Pant said.

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