He registered his 16th half century in Test cricket at Headingley.
Rishabh Pant inked his name into the history books by surpassing former skipper MS Dhoni as India’s most successful wicketkeeper-batter in Test cricket. With a knock of 52 not out during the opening Test of the five-match series against England at Headingley, the southpaw became the fourth Indian stumper to score over 3,000 runs in red-ball cricket. Before him, only Dhoni, Farukh Engineer, and Syed Kirmani have achieved the landmark. Pant struck a slog sweep for four to reach the milestone figure and complete his 16th fifty in Tests.
Coming into the series, Pant was under a little bit of pressure because of his poor form. His spot was in danger with the 24-year-old Dhruv Jurel showing consistent performances for India A. Pant failed to live up to the expectations during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. He managed 255 runs in nine innings at 28.33 with just one fifty. But he has now silenced his critics with a dogged fifty.
With a commanding half-century, Pant also became the highest-scoring Asian wicketkeeper-batter in the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries. He overtook Dhoni’s tally of 1,731 runs from 60 innings across 32 Tests, averaging 31.47, including 13 fifties. Before this game, the 27-year-old batter had accumulated 1,681 runs across 26 Tests and 48 innings, averaging 37.35 with four centuries and five fifties.
Pant has played a crucial role in India’s success since his Test debut in 2018, especially in SENA countries. His ability to put the opposition side under pressure and keep the scorecard ticking with his aggressive stroke play and counter-attacking approach makes him a headache for the bowlers.
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Pant is also on the verge of breaking Dhoni’s another record. With six centuries under his belt, he is on par with MS Dhoni. He needs one more century to beat him and become the Indian wicketkeeper-batter with the most Test centuries.
What makes Pant’s record exceptional is that four out of six hundred have come away from home. Whereas Dhoni scored all his centuries in India. He remains the only Indian wicket-keeper batter to have smashed a century in South Africa, England, and Australia.
Pant has often enjoyed playing in England, and his love affair with English conditions continues to blossom. In just nine Tests, he has amassed a couple of hundreds and as many fifties at an average of 32.70. His lone ODI century has come against England at Old Trafford, Manchester in 2022.
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