Rishabh Pant etched his name in Indian cricket history on Saturday as he slammed his seventh Test century during Day 2 of the first Test against England at Headingley. With this landmark knock, Pant has now surpassed MS Dhoni to become the Indian wicketkeeper with the most Test centuries.
The dynamic left-hander reached the three-figure mark in 143 balls, an innings laced with 10 boundaries and 3 towering sixes. Pant, who resumed Day 2 unbeaten on 65, partnered fluently with Shubman Gill to continue India’s run onslaught. At the time of Pant’s century, Gill was cruising on 143, with India approaching the 500-run mark.
Pant’s achievement puts him ahead of Dhoni, who had six centuries in his 90-Test career, and Wriddhiman Saha, who has three to his name. The 26-year-old’s milestone innings reinforces his stature as India’s most dangerous wicketkeeper-batter in the longest format — combining audacity with consistency.
The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batter reached the milestone in style on Day 2, scoring a fluent hundred off 143 deliveries, studded with 10 fours and 3 sixes. Pant resumed play on Saturday with an unbeaten 65 and continued to dominate the English bowling attack alongside Shubman Gill, who scored 143 as India surged towards a massive total.
This Test also marks a special moment in Indian cricket history, as it is only the fourth instance of three Indian batters scoring centuries in the same innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill, and now Pant have all crossed the three-figure mark, echoing a feat last achieved in 1986 by Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Srikkanth, and Mohinder Amarnath against Australia.
As India push towards a mammoth first-innings total, Pant’s heroics will remain a highlight of the Leeds Test, a testament to his fearless approach and evolution as a game-changer in red-ball cricket.
