Rishabh Pant stole the show as the fifth and final postponed Test between England and India began on Friday, July 1. Ben Stokes made the decision during the toss, and India was given the opportunity to bat first.
The Indian squad was faced with a difficult assignment as their improvised opening duo of Shubhman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara had to deal with James Anderson’s early danger in cloudy circumstances.
As Gill played his strokes, Pujara was hesitant to commit to balls beyond the off-stump, giving India a solid start. However, the young Indian opener’s uncalled-for jab against a penetrating Anderson was the cause of his demise. After that, the wickets continued falling, and India was in serious trouble at 98/5.
The English bowling attack was on the rise. Rishabh Pant, however, had other plans. He came out strong and managed to get himself out of difficulty. Pant unleashed his carefree strokes, destroying the England bowling line-up. The 24-year-old demonstrated that there are other teams that can play entertaining and counter-attacking cricket.
Rishabh Pant has now scored five centuries since his Test debut in 2018
Rishabh Pant broke the following records on day-1 of the Birmingham Test:
89 – Pant’s century off 89 deliveries is the fastest by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests.
89 – The southpaw also recorded the second-fastest Test ton by an Indian on England soil.
222 – Ravindra Jadeja and Pant stitched a 222-run stand, the highest sixth-wicket partnership against England for India.
146 – The southpaw was dismissed after scoring 146 runs, the second-highest score by a wicketkeeper in Tests at Edgbaston.
89 – The 24-year-old also recorded the fastest Test century in Tests at Edgbaston.
5 – Pant has now scored five centuries since his Test debut in 2018, no other wicketkeeper has scored more than three in this duration.
1333 – Since his Test debut, Rishabh Pant has scored 1333 runs for India in away Tests, which is second only to Pujara’s 1576 in this period.
The steadiness of veteran Ravindra Jadeja, who once again demonstrated his significance with the bat, provided a nice counterpoint to Rishabh Pant’s flamboyance. The two contributed significantly to the visitors’ partnership, scoring 222 runs for the sixth wicket in less than 40 overs.
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