Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is on the cusp of joining an elite list of cricketing greats—including Sir Don Bradman, Rahul Dravid and Brian Lara—if he registers another century at Edgbaston during the upcoming second Test against England.
Pant, in dazzling form, scored blistering knocks of 134 and 118 in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. Despite his heroics, India fell short in their defence of a 371-run target, losing by five wickets.
The 26-year-old left-hander has enjoyed considerable success in English conditions. Across 10 Tests and 19 innings in England, Pant has amassed 808 runs at an average of 42.52, with four centuries and two fifties. His highest score — 146 — came at Edgbaston in July 2022, when he hammered the English bowlers to all corners of the ground. His 111-ball innings, featuring 19 fours and four sixes, along with a crucial partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, lifted India from 98/5 to a competitive total of 416. However, India went on to lose that match as England successfully chased down 378.
Should Pant notch up another century at Edgbaston, he would become only the seventh visiting batter — and the second Indian after Rahul Dravid—to score centuries in three consecutive Tests on English soil. The other names on the list include Australia’s Warren Bardsley and Charles Macartney, West Indies’ Brian Lara, and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, who most recently achieved the feat with centuries at Lord’s, Nottingham and Leeds.
Dravid, now India’s head coach, had scored 115 at Nottingham, 148 at Leeds, and 217 at The Oval during the 2002 tour.
Pant, who has already surpassed MS Dhoni for most Test centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper and holds the record for most runs by an Asian wicketkeeper in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) conditions, became the first Indian gloveman to hit twin centuries in a Test during the Leeds match.
The second Test begins on July 2 at Edgbaston, with Pant named vice-captain in the Indian squad led by Shubman Gill.
India Test squad: Shubman Gill (capt), Rishabh Pant (vice-capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
England squad for 2nd Test: Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
