On Day 4 of India’s first Test against England at Headingley, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was observed giving himself a pep talk and pushing himself not to take risks.
The visitors began the day on the back foot after losing skipper Shubman Gill early on 8. Meanwhile, Pant, who had just scored a hundred in the first innings, launched another onslaught on England. Meanwhile, the self-motivation incident occurred after the southpaw attempted a slog-sweep against Brydon Carse but was successful on the lbw appeal. He was captured on the stump mic saying ”
“It’s a straight ball, Rishabh, and you don’t have to play like this, okay? If you want to hit it, you can do so straight. You’re attempting to hit it with the wind. Maarna hai, Seedha lag jayega na next ball. Zabardasti try kar raha hai),” Pant told himself as he listened to the stump mic.
When you’re your own best hype man AND finisher 😎#ENGvIND 1st Test Day 4 LIVE NOW Streaming on JioHotstar 👉 https://t.co/4duAvChJD5 pic.twitter.com/iHCwZB3tLq
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 23, 2025
Rishabh Pant registers many records.
However, Pant went on to score his second century of the match, 118 off 140 balls in the second innings, following a 134-run knock in the first. With this, he became only the second wicketkeeper in Test history, following Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower, to score century in both innings. He also became the first Indian to accomplish the feat in England, and only the ninth visiting batter overall.
With 252 runs in both innings, he now holds the record for most runs scored by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test. It was also his eighth Test century, tied with England’s Les Ames and trailing only Adam Gilchrist (17) and Andy Flower (12) among wicketkeeper-batters.
His collaboration with KL Rahul, who scored 137 off 247 balls, put the visitors in a great position. Rahul scored his third Test century in England, surpassing icons such as Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid. However, their dismissals led to a batting collapse. From 333/5, India was swept out for 364 by stumps, setting England a target of 371.
