India’s batting unit dominated Day 1 of the first Test of the ongoing series against England at Headingley with centuries from Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal laying the foundation. Walking in at 221/3, India’s vice-captain Rishabh Pant scored a fifty. With the top-order doing the heavy lifting, the onus was on Pant to cash in and extend India’s advantage, something he did with calm assurance.
Pant kept the scoreboard ticking alongside Gill. He did not have to counter a collapse or rescue an innings, but what stood out was the maturity in how he built his knock without looking rushed.
As England’s bowlers got tired and the ball lost its sting, Rishabh Pant opened up. He brought up a half-century and finished unbeaten on 65 runs at stumps. His knock included six fours and two sixes, and more importantly, pushed India past the 350-run mark by the end of play.
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Rishabh Pant Surpasses MS Dhoni in Elite Test Record
The innings also marked a historic personal milestone. With this knock, Pant became the fastest Asian wicketkeeper-batter to reach 3,000 runs in Test cricket, doing so in just 76 innings. He surpassed his idol MS Dhoni and Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara (78 innings) in the process.
Globally, Pant now sits second on the all-time list of fastest wicket-keepers to the milestone. He is behind only Australia’s Adam Gilchrist, who took 63 innings to score 3,000 Test runs.
Pant also became the highest-scoring Asian wicket-keeper in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia), overtaking Dhoni’s tally of 1,731 runs. He now has 1,746 runs in these challenging conditions.
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Rishabh Pant On the Cusp of Surpassing MS Dhoni’s Century Mark in Tests
Pant’s gritty 65* has also brought him within striking distance of another significant record. With six Test centuries to his name, he is currently tied with MS Dhoni for the most by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter. One more century will see him surpass Dhoni and take sole ownership of the record.
The 27-year-old remains the only Indian wicketkeeper to register Test hundreds in South Africa, England and Australia. With him unbeaten heading into Day 2, the stage is set for a potential seventh.
Also read: IND vs ENG: Why June 20 holds a significance importance to Indian Cricket Team
