Decoding the stats of Rishabh Pant in Test cricket
Rishabh Pant was a part of India's historic Test win against England at Lord's. He scored 37 and 22 in the match besides impressing with his fascinating glove-work in tricky conditions. Pant emerged as India's mainstay wicket-keeper in the inaugural WTC cycle. He has been the talk of the town after his game-changing knock at the Gabba. Here are his stats in Test cricket.
A look at his career stats (Tests)
Pant made his Test debut in 2018 against England at Trent Bridge. Although Pant couldn't do much, India managed to win the Test by 203 runs. Three years later, Pant has cemented his spot in India's Test XI. The youngster has racked up 1,487 runs from 23 Tests at an average of 42.49. He has slammed 3 hundreds and 6 fifties so far.
Pant achieved a unique feat on his Test debut
Pant became the first-ever Indian batsman to get off the mark in Test cricket with a six. He smashed leg-spinner Adil Rashid for a straight six on only the second ball of his Test career. Overall, Pant became the 12th batsman to do so.
Pant slammed his maiden Test ton in 2018
In 2018, Pant slammed his maiden Test century (114), at The Oval. With this, he became the second-youngest Indian wicket-keeper (20 years, 342 days) to score a Test hundred. He was also the first Indian keeper to hammer a ton in England. A few months later, Pant became the first Indian wicket-keeper to slam a Test ton in Australia (159*, SCG).
Most Test runs for India since January 2020
Pant has been a force to reckon with in recent times. Since January 2020, Pant has been India's highest run-scorer in Test cricket. He scored 733 runs from 12 Tests at an average of 40.72 during this period. The tally includes 1 hundred and 4 fifties. Indian opener Rohit Sharma follows Pant on this tally with 690 runs.
Here are his memorable knocks
Earlier this year, a valiant 97 by Pant helped India shrug off a defeat in Sydney. A voracious Pant once again defied the odds in the Brisbane Test. Chasing 328, India were reeling at 167/3 when Ajinkya Rahane departed (Day 5). Pant's 138-ball 89* handed India a win to remember for ages. Against England at home, Pant smashed his third Test ton (101, Ahmedabad).
Pant has worked on his wicket-keeping
Pant looked bleak behind the wickets at the start of his career. He lacked the required craft, especially in English conditions, where the ball moves more. However, he has honed his glove-work with time. Pant has registered 85 catches in Test cricket as of now. He shares the record for most dismissals in a Test (11) with AB de Villiers and Jack Russell.