'Got to know one day before the match that I'm not playing': Rishabh Pant recalls being left 'disheartened'

If the mind is to hark back, it is unbelievable to know that Pant did not even play the first Test in Adelaide. Battling poor form over the last few months, Pant was included in the Test squad but it was Wriddhiman Saha who kept wicket for India in Adelaide.

The 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy involving India and Australia will go down as one of the greatest Test series ever. From getting all out for 36 in Adelaide to scripting a comeback for the ages, the series is right up there in the list of India's finest Test series. Include the 2004 win in Pakistan, 2018-19 win in Australia, or the famous 2001 home series against the Aussies, this one ranks among the best.

Rishabh Pant was not included in India's Playing XI for the Adelaide Test.  (Getty)

The series saw the emergence of several heroes for India. From Cheteshwar Pujara copping body blows to Hanuma Vihari batting with an injured hamstring. From Mohammed Siraj grabbing a five-wicket-haul or Ashwin taking India through to a memorable draw, there were plenty of standout performances responsible for giving India one of its greatest moments in Test cricket. And then of course, there was Rishabh Pant, who played two outstanding knocks in consecutive Tests.

But if the mind is to hark back, it is unbelievable to know that Pant did not even play the first Test in Adelaide. Battling poor form over the last few months, Pant was included in the Test squad but it was Wriddhiman Saha who kept wicket for India in Adelaide. With Saha getting the nod, Pant revealed that it was a day prior to the start of the Test that he got to know he wasn't playing, a news that came as a disappointment for him.

"I got to know one day before the match that I'm not playing. I was disheartened because in Adelaide I had played my first match in Australia when I went last time (during the 2018-19 series)," Pant said on the docu-series 'Bando Mein Tha Dum' streaming on VOOT.

Two years ago, it was in the Adelaide Oval that Pant played his first Test Down Under and scored 25 and 28. Back then, Pant played all four Tests of the tour and even scored a century – unbeaten 159 – at the Sydney Cricket Ground. India’s stand-in captain for the final three Tests of the series, Ajinkya Rahane said that Pant was expecting to play the first Test of the series but the team management went with Saha due to his seniority.

"He was expecting to play the first game but we went with Wriddhiman because he was a senior player," Rahane said during the same docu-series.