Rishabh Pant in action© BCCI/Sportzpics
Rishabh Pant made a brilliant comeback to Test cricket for the Indian cricket team as he scored a stunning century to guide his team to victory against Bangladesh in the first Test encounter in Chennai. It was a good show from Pant and his performance led to renewed comparisons with MS Dhoni. A number of fans as well as experts said that Pant is now in the running to become the greatest wicket-keeper batter for India ahead of Dhoni. Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali weighed in on the debate and said that the comparisons do not make any sense to him. In a video on his YouTube channel, he said that Pant should focus on his game and even namedropped Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill.
“Mujhe Maaf kar do, MS Dhoni legend tha, usne India ko World Cup jitaya, Champions Trophy jitayi. Pant abhi acha kar raha hai, ushe game pe focus karne do. Kya Virat Kohli ko Shubman Gill se compare karenge? (MS Dhoni was a legend, he led India to World Cup wins and ICC Champions Trophy. Rishabh Pant is doing well, let him focus on his game. Will you compare Shubman Gill with Virat Kohli?,” he said.
Rishabh Pant achieved a milestone on the third day of the opening Test against Bangladesh.
Pant continued to ride high after his impressive showing in the second inning of the opening round of the Duleep Trophy for India B.
After enjoying a promising start in the first inning with a 39-run knock, Pant strived hard and celebrated his sixth Test century as the crowd and the Indian team erupted in jubilation.
Pant’s sixth Test century came in 58 innings as he went level with India’s iconic captain, MS Dhoni. As a designated wicketkeeper, Pant is now level with MS Dhoni for most centuries in Test format for India.
Dhoni smashed six centuries in his Test career that spanned 2005 to 2014. After Pant and Dhoni, Wriddhiman Saha has three Test hundreds in 54 innings.
Throughout his time on the crease, Pant heavily relied on his aggressive strokes to put runs on the board on the benign surface of the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
(With PTI inputs)
Topics mentioned in this article
