In a heroic comeback that no one expected, Rishabh Pant has turned his injury into history in the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Rishabh Pant had to walk off the field after scoring just 3 runs on Day 1 in Colombo. But on the morning of Day 2, after debutant Saransh Jain got out, Pant walked out to bat again and stunned everyone. He smashed an unbeaten 63 off just 88 balls in the first session itself, bringing up his fifty in 81 balls.
With this knock, Rishabh Pant achieved something no Indian wicketkeeper has ever done before. He crossed 2,500 runs in away Tests as a designated wicketkeeper-batter. These are Tests played in the opposition’s home or at neutral venues. He broke MS Dhoni’s long-standing record to do it. Dhoni had scored 2,496 runs in 48 away Tests from 2006 to 2014. Rishabh Pant did it in his 36th away Test and now has 2,534* runs.
In the world list, Rishabh Pant is now close to the top. Pakistan’s former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed holds the world record with 2,696 runs in 52 away Tests as a keeper-batter. He is followed by Australia’s great Adam Gilchrist with 2,634 runs in 41 away Tests. This fifty on Monday, August 24, was also special for another reason. It was Pant’s 21st fifty in Test cricket.
And more records are loading. Rishabh Pant is already India’s highest run-scorer in the World Test Championship. He has 2,948* runs right now and was batting on 63 at lunch. If he scores 115 runs in this Test, he will become the first Indian ever to score 3,000 runs in the WTC history.
Right behind him is Shubman Gill, who also scored a fifty in the first innings of this same Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Shubman Gill has 2,917 runs in 42 WTC matches.
If Rishabh Pant reaches 3,000, he will also become the first designated wicketkeeper-batter in the entire world to reach 3,000 runs in the WTC.
The 28-year-old star from Roorkee, who plays for Delhi in domestic cricket, has played all his 42 WTC matches as India’s designated wicketkeeper-batter.
Great going Rishabh Pant!
