Indian wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant had a record-breaking day at Sydney Cricket Ground on day two of the fourth and final Test against Australia. The 21 years old created history as he scored his second Test century after falling in nervous nineties twice against West Indies in the home series.
Pant came to the crease after controversial dismissal of Hanuma Vihari. India were 329 runs for five at that time. They were still short of a big total. But Pant first combined with Pujara in an 89 run-partnership for the sixth wicket and then went on to add 204 runs for the seventh wicket with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who scored a well-made 81.
Pant also surpassed Virat Kohli’s tally of 282 runs to become the second leading run-scorer in the series. Pant now has 350 runs in seven Test innings of this series. He broke a host lot of records on his way to an unbeaten 159.
Take a look at them:
Rishabh Pant is first Indian wicketkeeper to score a Test century in Australia. Farokh Engineer’s 89 was the highest score by an Indian keeper Down Under before Pant scored a brilliant century today.
Pant’s 159* is the second-highest score by any visiting wicketkeeper in Australia. AB de Villiers’ 169 remains the highest score by a visiting keeper Down Under.
Rishabh Pant is also second only to KS Ranjitsinhji (175) when it comes to highest-score for any visiting batsman at No. 7 or lower in Australia.
No other wicket-keeper from any country had more centuries than Pant at the age of 21. The Indian left-hander has two centuries and notably, they have come outside Asia, which is a big achievement for someone who has not even played 10 Tests.
Pant also surpassed MS Dhoni’s score of 148 runs, which was earlier the highest by any Indian wicket-keeper outside India in an innings. He is the first Indian gloveman to touch 150 outside India.
Pant is only the second visiting wicket-keeper to register centuries in both England and Australia after West Indian player Jeff Dujon.
The Haridwar-born cricketer is also the first wicket-keeper from Asia to score more than 200 runs as well as affect over 20 dismissals in a Test series.
Rishabh Pant now has two centuries in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries. No other Indian wicket-keeper has even one.
The 204-run seventh wicket partnership between Pant and Ravindra Jadeja is the highest for the wicket by any pair Down Under. They left behind the previous best (185) held by Greg Matthews and Graham Yallop.
Their 204 run-stand is also the second-best seventh-wicket stand for India away from home.
Pant (159*) also joined Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim in terms of highest score by an Asian wicket-keeper batsman outside the continent.
The Indian wicket-keeper also equaled the record for the highest number of Test centuries (2) by a sub-continent wicket-keeper outside Asia. Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim and Pakistan’s Moin Khan have also scored two centuries each outside the sub-continent.