The Indian domestic season began with excitement in Bengaluru as the Duleep Trophy opener featured India A and India B on a lively pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The green-tinged deck offered a prime opportunity for the India A pacers to make an impact after captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Despite a solid 33-run stand by openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Yashasvi Jaiswal, wickets began to fall, leaving the team struggling at 67/3 with Musheer Khan and Rishabh Pant at the crease.
Pant, making his return to first-class cricket after two years, began with a boundary but his aggressive play led to his downfall, highlighted by a spectacular fielding effort from Gill.
On the second delivery of the 35th over, Pant advanced down the track and attempted to drive Akash Deep with a flat-bat shot. However, he only managed to connect with the toe-end of the bat, sending the ball high into the air beyond the 30-yard circle.
Gill, positioned at mid-on, quickly judged the trajectory and sprinted backward. Timing his dive perfectly, he reached out and caught the ball just as he was nearly parallel to the ground.
What a Catch! & What a Ball! 🔥
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 5, 2024
✌️ moments of brilliance in ✌️ balls 👌👌
Shubman Gill pulls off a stunning catch to dismiss Rishabh Pant & then Akash Deep bowls a beauty to dismiss Nithish Kumar Reddy#DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/eQyu38Erb1 pic.twitter.com/80Cpgat3nF
Gill’s stunning catch was met with ecstatic celebration, while Pant, visibly disappointed, had no choice but to depart for just seven runs. The dismissal ignited discussions on Twitter about Pant’s potential return to the Test team following his extended break from red-ball cricket.
