Leeds, Jun 21 (PTI) Rishabh Pant on Saturday went past MS Dhoni for the most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper in Test cricket, bringing up his seventh on the second day of the series opener against England here, and earning praise from the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar.

Pant struck a six off the first ball of the 100th over of India’s first innings, clearing the fence off Shoaib Bashir to bring up the milestone.

It was his first century since September 2024 when he scored 109 against Bangladesh.

In 90 Tests, Dhoni had scored 4,876 runs with six tons and 33 fifties at an average of 38.09 and remains the highest run-scorer as an Indian wicketkeeper-batter in Tests.

Pant, who completed 3,000 runs during this innings of 134 off 178 balls (12×4; 6×6), also has 15 fifties in 44 Tests and averages nearly 44.

The third in this list is Wriddhiman Saha with two centuries, followed by Syed Kirmani and Farokh Engineer with two each.

Nayan Mongia has also scored one century.

Sachin hails Pant’s ‘clever’ strategy

Pant’s effort earned accolades from Tendulkar, who lauded the wicketkeeper-batter’s paddle sweep as a smart use of technique.

“Rishabh’s falling paddle sweep is not accidental. It is intentional and extremely clever. Going down with the shot allows him to get under the ball and scoop it over leg slip with control,” Tendulkar wrote on his social media handle.

Tendulkar also highlighted the psychological tactics deployed by Pant and Gill against Bashir during their 209-run fourth wicket stand.

“Also noticed something interesting during Bashir’s spell. Shubman and Rishabh were speaking loudly in Hindi between deliveries.

“It wasn’t just casual talk. They were playing mind games with the bowler, trying to disrupt his rhythm. These minor details may not appear on the scoreboard, but they can have a significant impact on the game,” added Tendulkar.

Gavaskar’s shift from ‘stupid’ to ‘superb’

Saturday’s knock also came as a moment of redemption for Pant, who had come under heavy criticism earlier this year during India’s Test series defeat in Australia, especially for his rash shot selections.

Back then, Gavaskar had slammed Pant’s shot selection with the stinging remark “stupid, stupid, stupid” echoing through the commentary box.

But at Headingley on Saturday, as Pant raised his bat and made the signature front-flip celebration after reaching the milestone, it was Gavaskar again — this time exclaiming “superb, superb, superb!” on air, commentating alongside Harsha Bhogle. PTI

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