Pant's Century Blitz Earns Vaughan's Praise Despite India's Test Loss to England

Rishabh Pant's explosive batting performance in the first Test against England at Headingley, featuring two centuries, may not have secured a victory for India, but it has certainly captured the attention and admiration of the cricketing world.

Rishabh Pant celebrates a century against England.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has been among the most vocal in his praise, describing Pant as a "game-changer." Vaughan suggests that while Pant's approach might appear unconventional, it is underpinned by a strong understanding of the game.

"There's a lot of science in that madness, the way that he plays," Vaughan commented on the Stick to Cricket show. He also noted the admiration that even England captain Ben Stokes held for Pant's batting prowess.

Pant's audacious strokeplay, characterized by his signature ramp shots and reverse sweeps, has drawn comparisons to some of the greatest wicketkeeper-batsmen in the history of cricket.

"Adam Gilchrist is the best wicketkeeper-batter for me," Vaughan stated. "But Pant just set a new trend. MS Dhoni was brilliant in white-ball cricket, but Pant's Test record is far superior to his white-ball numbers."

Alastair Cook and David Lloyd have also lauded Pant's performance. Cook emphasized the determination behind Pant's cheerful demeanor, noting, "That smile doesn't mean he doesn't like to win. You don't score two centuries and not really want to. He could've relaxed after the first, but didn't."

Despite Pant's outstanding contributions of 134 and 118 runs in the match, India was ultimately let down by a fragile lower batting order and a bowling attack that struggled to consistently make breakthroughs beyond Jasprit Bumrah. England successfully chased down a target of 371 runs with five wickets remaining.

The second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is scheduled to begin on July 2 at Edgbaston.