Rishabh Pant Eyes Place Among Cricket Legends with Another Century in England

Rishabh Pant stands on the verge of joining an exclusive club of visiting batsmen. As India prepares for the second Test of the series against England at Edgbaston, starting July 2, the young wicketkeeper-batter has a golden opportunity to cement his place among the greats.

Rishabh Pant aims to replicate his Headingley performance at Edgbaston.

Following his twin centuries at Headingley, the 26-year-old is just one ton away from a legendary list featuring the likes of Don Bradman, Rahul Dravid, and Brian Lara.

Pant's performance in the first Test at Leeds was nothing short of spectacular. He smashed 134 and 118, displaying a stunning range of shots in both innings. Despite India's five-wicket defeat after setting England a target of 371, Pant's audacious stroke-making and resilience were the highlights of the match.

He currently boasts an impressive record of 808 runs in 10 Tests in England, averaging 42.52, with four centuries to his name. His highest score on English soil, a blistering 146 off just 111 balls, came at Edgbaston in 2022. This innings saw him rescue India from a precarious 98 for 5, helping them post a first-innings total of 416. Although India lost that match, Pant's innings remains one of the finest displays of wicket-keeping prowess on foreign soil.

If Pant manages to score another century at Edgbaston, he will become only the seventh visiting batter to achieve the remarkable feat of scoring centuries in three successive Tests in England. The exclusive list currently includes:

• Don Bradman
• Warren Bardsley
• Charles Macartney
• Brian Lara
• Rahul Dravid
• Daryl Mitchell

Rahul Dravid is the only Indian cricketer to have achieved this milestone, accomplishing it back in 2002.

Pant already holds the record for the most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper and the most runs by an Asian gloveman in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries. He now has a golden opportunity to further etch his name in the annals of cricket history.