Pant Becomes First Asian Wicketkeeper To Score Twin Centuries In A Test Match

On Day 4 of the first Test match against England, India's dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant made history by being the first Asian wicketkeeper to achieve hundreds in both innings of a Test match.

With a counterattacking 118 in the second inning after his first-innings 101, Pant showed not only his innate ability but also his developing maturity in red-ball cricket. Pant became just the third wicketkeeper in Test history to achieve this feat with this effort, behind Les Ames (England) and Andy Flower (Zimbabwe).

A Knock of Aggression

With KL Rahul, Pant took leadership as India lost early wickets in the second innings. Pant used a combination of aggressive strokes and responsible defense to launch a brilliant attack on the English bowlers as the game was perfectly balanced. Reverse sweeps, gutsy pulls, and his signature one-handed sixes were all part of his innings.

14 boundaries and two sixes are scattered throughout Pant's 118 (from 143 balls). More significantly, it gave India the upper hand and gave England a challenging target of 371 runs.

A Historic Milestone

For Asian wicketkeepers, who have historically been seen more as glovemen than as powerful batsmen, Pant's achievement is significant. While having great records, legends like MS Dhoni, Moin Khan, and Kumar Sangakkara (before becoming a specialist batter) were unable to achieve the twin-century mark in a single Test match.

This knock has given Pant:

• Scored his eighth and ninth hundreds in Test matches.
• Broke MS Dhoni's record for the most hundreds scored while playing for India as a wicketkeeper abroad.
• Make history by being the first Asian wicketkeeper to reach the hundred-run mark in both innings in England.

 

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