Credit: BCCI
Agile yet powerful, not the tallest cricketer going around and yet impactful and most importantly, loaded with dollops of courage; your verbiage gets laced with adjectives when describing a talent of Rishabh Pant’s make.
He’s truly one of a kind. And a format he confesses about loving the most- and can’t imagine his cricket without- is Test cricket. However, it is here that rests an interesting perspective. One of the teams that Rishabh Pant has played against most consistently in Test match cricket happens to be England. It’s the very side he’ll be locking horns against very soon during India’s forthcoming tour. But the big question is this- just how is Rishabh Pant Pant’s Test record against England?
But first up, we need to ascertain a point. Thus far, all that Rishabh Pant has played in Test match cricket are 43 games. Of these, he’s played 12 against England. Now this is a bit interesting for the simple reason that where current tally stands, he’s played the exact number of games against the mighty Australians as well.
Having said that, let us break further his tally of 12 Tests versus England.
So what do we find?
Of these 12 Tests against an opponent that has quality talent like Joe Root, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, Pant has played 8 games away in England.
It’s a number he’d be adding more to in the most imminent future.
Rishabh Pant Test Records in England
Now, of these 8 Tests, Rishabh Pant played his first 3 in 2018, one each at Trent Bridge, The Rose Bowl and Kennington Oval. He would score a total of 162 runs during his first ever time in England, which included a famous 114 off 146 deliveries.
Now even though England won that 5-match Test series in 2018, Pant’s counterattacking innings that came off just 146 deliveries saw him score his first hundred in English conditions at a strike rate nearing 79.
Post that, Pant’s next trip to England to play Tests came in 2021, where he played 4 more Tests, one each at Trent Bridge, Lord’s, Headingley, Kennington Oval, and Edgbaston during which he amassed 349 runs, the most he’s ever scored in a bi lateral Test series against the opponent.
This included a fiery 146 at Edgbaston off just 111 deliveries. While England against emerge on the winning side and India were bolstered by a memorable Jadeja century, it was Pant’s audacious knock that garnered plaudits, and deservingly so. He played freely and fearlessly against Anderson, Broad and Stokes and hit 19 boundaries.
What’s rather impressive is that of his 6 Test tons, 3 have come against England, an opponent against whom he’s scored nearly 800 runs with an average nearly touching 40 (21 innings). He’s also been athletic and alert against this opponent versus whom he’s taken 41 catches and 5 stumpings.
Such good all round work with the bat and glove is something India would love to see from someone they truly cherish. That’s especially during a time where no longer does the visiting side have the experience of Rohit or Virat.
What do you reckon?
