Rishabh Pant‘s swashbuckling style may not be the textbook technique of great Indian batsman of old, but the diminutive wicketkeeper wrote his name into the history books at Headingley on Monday. The 27-year-old Rishabh Pant became the first Indian to score hundreds in both innings of a Test against England to give his side the edge heading into a fascinating final day of the first of a five-match series
Rishabh Pant became the first-ever Indian wicketkeeper to hit twin centuries in a Test by following his 134 in the first innings with a 140-ball 118 in the second on Monday (June 23) at Headingley. After celebrating the first with a somersault — that made him even popular among the hosts — he offered a muted expression for the second. With this innings and 8th century in his glorious red ball career Rishabh Pant entered into the record books acheiving many new heights in the game of cricket.
Rishabh Pant etched his name in the history with the record breaking ton
Rishabh Pant smashed his second hundred of the Leeds Test on Monday at Headingley. After scoring a brilliant 134 in the first innings, Rishabh Pant delivered again when India needed him most in the second innings. With India struggling at 92 for 3, he forged a 195-run partnership with KL Rahul – who scored 137 – en route to his 118, studded with 15 fours and 3 sixes. His and Rahul’s significant hundreds propelled India to set a strong 371-run target for England.
With his second hundred in the Leeds Test, Rishabh Pant became the first Indian to score a ton in both innings of a Test in England. By achieving the feat, he has joined an elite list of Indian cricketers, including Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar (who achieved the feat three times), Rahul Dravid (twice), Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma.
Rishabh Pant now has four hundreds in England, including his 114 at The Oval in 2018 and 146 at Edgbaston in 2022. These four centuries have seen him equal legendary batters Sachin Tendulkar and Dilip Vengsarkar’s record. Both of them have scored four centuries in England. Pant is now only behind Rahul Dravid, who hit six hundreds in England. With four more Tests to go on India’s tour of England, Pant will be very much in contention to surpass Dravid’s feat and become the Indian record-holder.
Rishabh Pant historic twin tons get a special applause from Sanjay Manjrekar
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that Rishabh Pant is making rapid strides in Test cricket just like his teammate and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. The former batter hailed Rishabh Pant’s mental skills while discussing his hundred on Day 4 of the Leeds Test against England.
Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul struck centuries as India batted themselves into a position of dominance on Day 4 of the Headingley Test against England on Monday, June 23. Resuming their second innings on 90-2, they posted 364 as Rahul top-scored with 137, while Pant scored 118. The latter had hit 134 in the first innings as well.
During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar was asked if Pant is among the greatest keeper-batters of all time in Test cricket. Hinting that it’s too early to draw a conclusion on the same, Manjrekar admitted that the southpaw is climbing the charts rather swiftly in Test cricket. He stated:
“There’s obvious comparison with Adam Gilchrist that comes to mind. When you talk about Test cricket, there are so many batters over the years that you’ve got to be mindful of. He’s making rapid strides, just like Bumrah in the history of Test cricket, when you are looking at new players.”
The 59-year-old went on to praise the Indian stumper for showing great resolve with the willow after going through a phase where he looked out of sorts. Sharing his views on Pant’s temperament, Manjrekar elaborated:
“We discovered the mental side of his batting. We thankfully have the stump mic and we can hear all kinds of chatter. This morning when he got obsessed with playing with the wind and falling down in the process, he got himself into a bit of a rut. Then we heard him talking to himself, saying – ‘What are you doing? Just keep it simple’. After that we saw the other side of Pant when he was only blocking.
“It was an almost two-hour change that he brought in his batting. Just imagine the kind of control he has over his batting mechanism,” Manjrekar concluded.
Rishabh Pant struck 15 fours and three sixes in his 140-ball knock as India set England a target of 371. In reply, the hosts went to stumps at 21-0 after six overs setting up an exciting Day 5 at Leeds.
After 15 months on the sidelines, many wondered if Rishabh Pant would return to the professional game. But his comeback was so successful that Lucknow Super Giants made him the record signing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when they splashed out Rs 27 crore for his services at last year’s November auction. Rishabh Pant  arrived in England with questions over his form after striking hust 128 runs in 10 IPL innings this IPL season. But Rishabh Pant showed his class is permanent by putting England to the sword in some style.
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