Rishabh Pant’s return to international cricket has been nothing short of inspirational. Following a life-threatening car accident in December 2022, doubts loomed over whether the explosive wicketkeeper-batter could ever reach the same heights again. But in the ongoing series, not only has Pant answered his critics emphatically with two outstanding centuries, he’s also impressed everyone with his seamless mobility behind the stumps. Now, India’s strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai has revealed the secret behind Pant’s comeback — an extraordinary level of physical reserve and athletic foundation that allowed him to regain peak performance quickly.
“Pant has so much reserve that he will be fine for at least a year without having to do anything extraordinary. That’s why you see him moving around so well despite scoring two hundreds and keeping wickets,” Desai explained, speaking about Pant’s unique physiology and work ethic. These words shed light on an aspect that often goes unnoticed when fans marvel at Pant’s explosive batting or fearless glovework: his incredible baseline fitness.
Pant’s performance since his return has been nothing short of phenomenal. Batting with controlled aggression, he notched up two Test hundreds in demanding conditions. But perhaps even more impressive is his wicketkeeping, a discipline that demands hours of squatting, lightning-fast reflexes, and unrelenting focus. That Pant has performed these duties with such fluidity shows how his body, once broken, has healed and adapted better than most expected.
Desai’s assessment speaks volumes about the work Pant had put in long before the accident. As someone who has trained with the Indian team for years, Desai has watched Pant grow from a prodigious talent to a high-performance athlete. According to him, Pant’s natural reserves of endurance and muscular memory allowed the rehab process to focus on targeted strength gains and agility, rather than rebuilding fitness from scratch.
This foundation enabled Pant to take on intense workloads almost immediately upon rejoining the squad. During the first Test, he spent nearly 140 overs on the field, kept wickets in seaming conditions, and then returned to score a century in the second innings — a feat that would be exhausting for any player, let alone one returning from major surgery.
Pant’s mental strength, too, has played a pivotal role. The calmness with which he has approached his innings, combined with his trademark aggression, shows a matured temperament. He’s no longer just the maverick stroke-player; he’s a dependable match-winner with the resilience to withstand tough situations.
The Indian dressing room has clearly rallied around Pant, but the player himself has led the way. Whether it’s sprinting between the wickets, diving full-stretch for catches, or celebrating milestones with the same unfiltered joy he’s known for, Pant is operating at full throttle.
Rishabh Pant’s journey from injury to impact has now become a reference point in modern cricketing comebacks. As Soham Desai rightly said, his physical reserves gave him a head start. But it’s Pant’s heart, discipline, and sheer love for the game that have pushed him over the line. With his body and mind now in sync, Indian cricket is once again in safe — and exciting — hands.
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