“Mahi bhai has played a lot of cricket here, but I want to be myself” – Rishabh Pant reacts to comparison with MS Dhoni after Chennai Test

India’s wicket-keeper bat Rishabh Pant doesn’t want to be compared with legendary MS Dhoni after his heroic comeback to Test cricket in the opening Test match against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

India registered a thumping victory of 280 runs and Pant played an instrumental role in the win. The left-hander scored a crucial knock of 39 runs in the first innings and added 62 runs with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The pugnacious southpaw was at his absolute best in the second essay, scoring a majestic knock of 109 runs, adding a fine alliance of 167 runs with Shubman Gill, who went on to score an unbeaten 119.

Pant said he wants to be himself after scoring his sixth Test century, to equal MS Dhoni’s tally of hundreds in the red-ball version despite playing only 34 Test matches.

Pant said after the win, “This is CSK’s home ground. Mahi bhai has played a lot of cricket here. But, for me, like I have said before, I want to be myself. I don’t focus on what’s being said or what’s happening around me. I keep things simple and focus on giving my best. The atmosphere here was amazing, and I really enjoyed it.”

The left-hander added he wanted to keep his thought process simple in the second innings and play according to the match situation.

“I kept my thought process simple and played according to the situation. They started with spinners on Day 3, but I don’t go out with a predetermined way of playing,” Pant said.

“I knew we had lost three wickets, so I was conscious of not taking too many risks to avoid exposing the tail after [KL] Rahul bhai. The pitch was good for batting, and I wanted to make the most of it and score a hundred.”

The second Test match between India and Bangladesh will be played at Green Park, Kanpur from September 27.