India wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant came up with a breathtaking knock on Day 1 of the fifth and final Test match against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Friday. The 24-year-old explosive middle-order batter looked in imperious touch as he launched an all-out assault on the English bowlers to bring up his fifth hundred in the whites. With his 89-ball century, Rishabh Pant went past the legendary MS Dhoni to become the fastest India wicketkeeper batter to reach the three-figure mark in Test cricket. While Dhoni took 93 balls to complete his ton in 2005, Rishabh Pant needed only 89 deliveries to achieve the milestone.
En route to his scintillating century in Birmingham, Rishabh Pant also broke a long-standing Sachin Tendulkar record. The southpaw became the youngest Indian cricketer to hit 100 sixes in international cricket. Rishabh Pant attained the landmark by smashing England spinner Jack Leach out of the park during his brilliant knock on Friday.
Sachin Tendulkar was previously the youngest Indian to smash 100 sixes in international cricket, having achieved the feat as a 25-year-old. But Rishabh Pant's heroics at Edgbaston helped him leapfrog the iconic cricketer as he reached the landmark at 24 years, 271 days.
Besides breaking the records of MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, Rishabh Pant scripted history at Edgbaston as well. When he struck his 24th run of the innings, Rishabh Pant became the youngest wicketkeeper batter in the history of the longest format of the game to complete 2,000 runs.
Rishabh Pant arrived at the crease when the Indians were in a deep hole at 64/3, which quickly became 98/5 after the visitors lost the wickets of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer who were dismissed for 11 and 15 respectively.
Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer's departure, however, didn't make much difference to Rishabh Pant's batting approach as he decided to disrupt the rhythm of the English bowlers by taking them on in T2O style.
It was a remarkable counter-attacking knock from Rishabh Pant, taking on the English bowlers with elan, aggression, and poise at the same time.
The Uttarakhand batter was simply outstanding from the word go, firing on all cylinders as he went berserk at Edgbaston.
Rishabh Pant was particularly severe against England spinner Jack Leach as he clobbered him for boundaries and sixes at will.
In one of Jack Leach's overs, he hit him for two fours and two maximums with a huge sixer over long-on being the highlight of his all-out attack on the left-arm tweaker.
Rishabh Pant's aggression eventually led to his downfall as well, as he wanted to bring his 150 with a single shot but was caught in the slips off the bowling of Joe Root. Pant made a whirlwind 146 off 111 balls.
Despite his dismissal, Rishabh Pant remained the center of attraction as several former cricketers sang his praises.
“Box office stuff from Rishabh Pant. One of the best counter-attacking innings that one will ever see. One special player,” former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad said on Twitter.
“Rishabh Pant and his Punch in test cricket continues. Call him a super star for a reason!” ex-India pacer Irfan Pathan said while hailing the left-hander's stunning innings at Edgbaston.
“A superb innings by Rishabh Pant at a crucial time! Scoring 100 in just 89 balls is truly commendable. Great teamwork from Ravindra Jadeja as well by scoring a fifty and building the partnership,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah wrote on the micro-blogging site.
“When in trouble, call the Spiderman! What a fierce knock by rockstar Rishabh Pant against a quality english bowling unit under such circumstances. Best way to fight a fire is to fight it with the fire,” India leg-spinner Amit Mishra added.
“Pant is in a league of his own. The most entertaining cricketer in the world, this is a special one,” Indian great Virender Sehwag said.
“Rishabh Pant is India’s best ever wicket-keeper batter in ‘Tests’ …and he’s not even 25 yet. The number of Test match defining innings he’s played in just 30 matches is simply sensational,” ex-India opener Aakash Chopra tweeted.
Simply awesome @RishabhPant17!
Well done.👏Crucial innings by @imjadeja. Rotated the strike well and played some amazing shots.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/9ACuhVlGTT
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 1, 2022
Special exhibition of test match batting under pressure .@RishabhPant17 @imjadeja ..can't get better then this ..get to 375 tmrw ..
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) July 1, 2022
Super stuff @RishabhPant17 👏🏽👏🏽 Easily the best WK batter in Tests right now 👊🏽 #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/Ue7CqWPtBJ
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) July 1, 2022
Pant is in a league of his own.
The most entertaining cricketer in the world, this is a special one. pic.twitter.com/PgGTjgxUd9— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) July 1, 2022
@RishabhPant17 simply amazing 🔥🔥🔥
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) July 1, 2022
2⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ Test runs – Fastest 🇮🇳 wicketkeeper ✅
1⃣0⃣0⃣ International sixes ✅
5⃣th Test Century ✅The man of the moment, the riveting Rishabh Pant 🔥#OneFamily #ENGvIND @RishabhPant17 @BCCI pic.twitter.com/5t6HWCb8Gt
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) July 1, 2022
“India was 96 for 5 at one stage then Rishabh Pant scored fifty from 51 balls – the best wicket keeper batsman currently in Test cricket,” a fan declared.
“A knock included such shots, yet been a world class innings – can only be of Rishabh Pant,” another Rishabh Pant admirer said.
India, on the other hand, ended the day's play at 338/7 with Ravindra Jadeja (83*) 17 runs away from what would be a marvelous hundred, considering the circumstances in which he scored his runs.
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