Rishabh Pant etched his name in the history books on Day 1 of the IND vs ENG 1st Test at Headingley by surpassing MS Dhoni to become the most successful Indian wicketkeeper-batter in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) conditions. The Indian vice-captain remained unbeaten on 65* at stumps, guiding India to a commanding 359/3 alongside skipper Shubman Gill.
Pant needed just 50 runs to go past Dhoni’s tally of 1,731 runs in SENA nations and did so in his trademark attacking style. His knock, laced with six boundaries and two sixes, marked his fourth half-century in England and solidified his reputation as a top performer in overseas Tests.
The southpaw also became only the fourth Indian wicketkeeper to cross 3,000 runs in Test cricket, joining the elite club that includes Farokh Engineer, Syed Kirmani, and Dhoni. Pant now also holds the record for the most runs by an Asian keeper-batter in SENA countries.
Pant, who currently has six centuries in Test cricket — the same as Dhoni — will resume Day 2 with an eye on claiming the record for most Test centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper.
ENG vs IND 1st Test – Day 1 recap:
India dominated England with a solid top-order performance. Jaiswal set the tone with a century, followed by a 91-run opening stand with KL Rahul, who fell for 42 just before Lunch. Debutant Sai Sudharsan was dismissed for a duck, but Shubman Gill (127*) and Rishabh Pant (65*) added an unbeaten 130-run stand to take India to 359/3 at stumps.
