Rishabh Pant, a star batsman and wicketkeeper for India, saved the squad once more as they were unable to overcome New Zealand’s 356-run lead in the Bengaluru Test. Notably, Pant and Sarfaraz Khan teamed up after losing Virat Kohli on the last ball of Day 3 to set up a 177-run partnership for the fourth wicket, which helped India overcome a significant deficit.
When Pant was on 99, William O’Rourke dismissed him, just as he was about to reach a century. This was Pant’s seventh Test dismissal in the 1990s. In the process, he broke the record held by the great MS Dhoni and became the fastest Indian batsman-wicketkeeper to score 2,500 runs in the game’s longest format.
It only took the southpaw 62 innings to reach the milestone, whereas Dhoni needed 69 innings. It took 82 innings for former India captain Farokh Engineer to attain the 2500-run milestone. Additionally, he became the second-highest scorer of fifty or more in innings among Indian wicketkeepers.
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In just 55 balls, Rishabh Pant reached his 12th fifty, and the team’s strike rate was 94.29. He hit five maximums and nine boundaries, demonstrating the significance of his innings. India’s scoreboard just before the tea showed 438 for six with an 82-run lead.
Most 50-plus scores for India wicketkeepers in Tests
Player Name | Number of Fifties | Innings taken |
MS Dhoni | 39 | 144 |
Farokh Engineer | 18 | 87 |
Rishabh Pant | 18 | 62 |
Syed Kirmani | 14 | 124 |