Rishabh Pant smashed his second century of the Leeds Test at Headingley on Monday, following up his brilliant 134 in the first innings with another crucial hundred when India found themselves under pressure. Coming to the crease with India struggling at 92 for 3, Pant stitched together a massive 195-run stand with KL Rahul, who contributed a superb 137. Pant's knock of 118, laced with 15 boundaries and 3 sixes, helped India set a formidable target of 371 runs for England.
With this feat, Pant became the first Indian to register centuries in both innings of a Test in England. He also joined an elite group of Indian players — Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar (who achieved the feat three times), Rahul Dravid (twice), Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma — to have scored tons in both innings of a Test match.
Rahul and Pant's centuries set England 371 at Headingley
Pant’s four centuries in England, which include his 114 at The Oval in 2018 and 146 at Edgbaston in 2022, have now drawn him level with Indian greats Sachin Tendulkar and Dilip Vengsarkar, both of whom have scored four Test hundreds on English soil. Only Rahul Dravid, with six centuries, sits ahead of him. With four more Tests left on India’s current England tour, Pant has a strong chance to surpass Dravid and set a new Indian record.
Additionally, Pant became only the second designated wicketkeeper-batter to hit centuries in both innings of a Test, a rare feat first achieved by Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower.
Pant's total of 252 runs in the Leeds Test is now the highest match aggregate by an Indian wicketkeeper, surpassing Budhi Kunderan's 230-run effort against England in Chennai in 1964. It also ranks as the fourth-highest match aggregate by any wicketkeeper in Test history, with Andy Flower still holding the top spot.
Moreover, Pant has joined an elite club of visiting players with five consecutive fifty-plus scores in England, a list that includes cricket legends Don Bradman, Hansie Cronje, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kumar Sangakkara, and Daryl Mitchell. Only Steve Smith has more, with seven successive fifty-plus scores.
Pant dazzles with fearless century at Headingley as India shine against England
In addition, the Leeds Test turned out to be historic for India, with four Indian batters — Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Pant — scoring centuries at Headingley. Notably, Pant contributed two of those five centuries, marking a rare and remarkable achievement for Indian cricket.
#With inputs from Agencies