Rishabh Pant etched another milestone in his nascent Test career, emerging as the first Indian 'keeper to register centuries in both innings of a Test match.
The historic feat arrived during Day 4 of the first Test against England at Headingley, where Pant further sustained his blazing form by completing his second century of the match in only 130 deliveries.
Having already added a dominating 134 in the first innings, Pant came out again to pen a match-defining knock—a counter-attacking 118—that built India's advantage in the second innings. With this achievement, he becomes part of an elite list of just 10 Indian cricketers who have ever scored centuries in both innings of a Test, a list headed by legends such as Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, and Virat Kohli.
Even more exceptional is the fact that Pant now becomes just the second wicketkeeper in Test cricket history to achieve twin centuries in a match—the first being Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower in 2001.
This was Pant's eighth Test century, making him India's leading wicketkeeper-batter in centuries. The value of this innings was amplified by the context of the match—India were under stress when Pant came to bat, but he simply changed the momentum with his hallmark style and aggressive nature.
His aggressive stance was well and truly in evidence as he tackled England's bowling, especially young spinner Shoaib Bashir. Pant unleashed a barrage of creative shots—ranging from paddles and sweeps to aggressive forays down the pitch—mixing aggression with creativity to keep the scoreboard rolling.
Further cementing his legacy, Pant, in just his 44th Test appearance, also eclipsed MS Dhoni’s record to become the highest-scoring Indian wicketkeeper in Test matches played on English soil.
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