The journey of Rishabh Pant in international cricket is no cakewalk. He struggled a lot to meet the expectations of his fans, especially since the standards for wicket-keeper batsman have always been high, even more so since he needed to fill the boots of great Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He was an in and out player for team India in Test cricket as Wriddhiman Saha was the primary keeper. But the time has been called for Saha too when he consistently suffered from injuries and his downfall started due to not being in form. It was then that the world experienced the rise of Rishabh Pant. Let’s see the top 10 records of Rishabh Pant in International Cricket.
10. Only Indian Batsman To Open His Account With A Six
Rishabh Pant achieved this record during India vs. England Test series in 2018, where he smashed England’s leg spinner Adil Rashid for a straight six over his head to get off the mark in his test career. It was his test debut and only the second ball faced. Pant became the first Indian batsman and overall the 12th in world cricket to do so.
9. Most Catches By An Indian Wicket-Keeper On Test Debut
Rishabh Pant set a new record by an Indian wicket-keeper on Test debut as he was involved in seven dismissals, where he took five catches in the 1st innings and then two catches in the 2nd innings. His wicket-keeping skills were top-notch, and it was a blessing for team India as they finally found a long-term solution in the name of Pant.
8. Fastest Visiting Wicketkeeper To Reach 500 Runs In Australia In Tests
During India vs. Australia test series in 2021, the cricket world experienced a clear vision that Pant was set to become one of the tremendous wicket-keeping batsmen for team India. In the midway of the series, Rishabh Pant became the fastest visiting wicket-keeper batsman to score 500 runs in Australia in test matches
7. First Asian Wicket-Keeper To Score 500 Runs In Australia In Tests
Not only the fastest, but Pant was the first Asian keeper batsman to score 500 runs against Australia in tests. It was a very rare feat as many great Asian wicket-keeper batsmen have not achieved this in their entire cricket career. He became the nightmare for Australia as they didn’t have any answers as to how to stop Pant from scoring runs.
6. Fastest Indian Wicket-Keeper To Score 1000 Runs In Test Cricket
Rishabh Pant surpassed the great M.S. Dhoni to become the fastest Indian wicket-keeper to score 1000 runs in test cricket. Pant has taken only 27 innings with an average of 40.04. He broke this record in the final test between India vs. Australia in Gabba, Brisbane. That series turned out to be decisive for Pant in terms of his cricketing career.
5. Fastest Indian Wicket-Keeper To Reach 50 Keeping Dismissals
Rishabh Pant is slowly on the verge of breaking all the records set by previous Indian wicket keepers. In 2019, Pant surpassed Dhoni to become the fastest Indian wicket-keeper to affect fifty dismissals. He achieved this feat in his 11th test, while it took Dhoni fifteen tests to complete fifty dismissals.
4. Most 25+ Scores Consecutively
As said, Rishabh Pant loves playing against Australia. He has a phenomenal record as a batsman in Australia, including an average of 50+. He scored nine consecutive 25+ scores, most by a visiting batsman, and never dismissed before 25. His consistency is unbelievable. Pant’s scores in Australia read as: 25, 28, 36, 30, 39, 33, 159, 29 and 36.
3. Dominating Since Debut
Rishabh Pant dominated the test cricket in his own way – consistent and impactful. Since his debut in test cricket, no other wicket-keeper in test cricket has scored more runs than him (1487), compiled more centuries (3), or hit more sixes (34). He played many match-winning innings, and his contribution was vital in test matches, such as the test series in Australia.
2. First Indian Wicket-Keeper To Score A Century In England And Australia
Normally every batsman’s dream is to score a century overseas and Pant has fulfilled his dream and made centuries in both England and Australia. Out of his three test hundreds, two hundred came overseas and on both occasions, India won comprehensively. He has the habit of playing these impactful knocks, changing the game entirely.
1. First Indian Keeper To Score A Hundred In 4th innings
Forget about scoring runs, surviving in the 4th innings of a test match itself is hard, but Pant has other plans. He set a unique record, where Pant is the first Indian keeper to score a hundred in the 4th innings of the test match. He scored against Australia, where India registered a famous win, which will be remembered.
