He was 23 off 23 at one point, but hit his next eight balls for 28 runs before slicing a skier to long-off.
“See, as a cricketer I don’t think about [feeling like being back], but at the same time I have to give my 100% each and every day,” Pant said at the post-match presentation ceremony. “So what I did was I took my time initially because I haven’t played much cricket in the last one-and-a-half to two years so I thought I have to give myself enough time.
“At the same time I kept believing that I could change the match at the end.”
“One-and-a-half years,” Pant said about how long he has waited to be back on the field. “Because every day I love to be on the field and this is something I have depended my life on.
“Yes, that one-and-a-half years was a wait but at the same time you’ve got to keep doing what you can as a cricketer and keep learning from it.”
Pant said he never worried about not being able to play cricket again.
“I think I always had self belief that whatever happens in life, I need to be back on the ground,” Pant said. “That was the thought process and I never thought about anything else.”
More to follow…