BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL: Rishabh Pant scales new peak with 7th Test century

Words fail even a poet when it comes to describing the audacity of Rishabh Pant, India’s star wicket-keeper-batter in Test cricket. On Saturday, the 27-year-old, who leaves fans chewing nails with his bold and daring strokeplay produced one more explosive burst as he got to his seventh Test hundred like a blitz.

For years, those who have seen Pant bat will say he is reckless. Indeed, the way Pant carved out his knock spread over Friday and Saturday will agree, he showed restraint, first, and then that turbo-charged aggression. In such a situation, it does not matter to Rishabh Pant what the field setting is and who the bowler is. On Friday, he was digging himself in to forge a partnership with skipper Shubman Gill.

In the first session on Saturday, Pant was his usual pugnacious self, batting with disdain. The field setting put in place by Ben Stokes was rendered impotent as Pant was creating magic. For those who will recall his last Test innings (Sydney) in the dreadful BGT Series in Australia, Pant had taken blows and batted hard in both the innings. That kind of effort makes him standout.

For those who felt there should be a toss-up between KL Rahul and Pant as wicket-keeper-batter, don’t get it wrong. In red ball cricket, notably Tests, Pant is a class act. It does not matter whether he is playing at home or in tough conditions overseas. England has been a happy hunting ground for him in the past as well. Yet, for those who watched Pant launch an assault on the English bowlers on Saturday, he was in rip-roaring form.

The way Pant surveyed the field and launched assaults on the bowlers was defining. After all, to smash 134 off 178 deliveries, where 12 fours and six sixes were defining, showed Pant does not care about restraining himself. He feels comfortable and is ready to launch himself with these shots which leaves fan in a daze. And for those who saw him reach his century from 99 with a one hand six execution, it was crazy. But then, Pant the entertainer and Pant the demolisher leaves even opponents applauding. For sure, Sunny Gavaskar, who had been unkind to Pant when he called him ‘stupid, stupid’ on air a series back, also enjoyed the burst from Pant. Only this diminutive batter can do it, against all odds.

For those who rave about what Pant means to Indian cricket, notably the Tests, he is a delight. To score seven centuries in 44 Tests, where three have come in England, Pant is the master. For those who are making the mistake of comparing Pant with another all-time great, MS Dhoni, centuries and stats alone don’t define greatness. Pant is a big fan and friend of Dhoni, and he has picked up a lot from the former India captain.

In many ways, for Pant to bounce back like this is a joy, what with his life-threatening car crash in December 2022 near Dehradun leaving fans worried. It resulted in a big knee surgery, followed by gain in weight and then bouncing back. Pant’s story has all the elements of a classic story. Of course, when he bounced back in the 2024 edition of the IPL and then went to the ICC T20 World Cup in the West Indies, his form and fitness were back. More recently, when Pant was not used in the Champions Trophy in Dubai, tongues wagged. Maybe, coach Gautam Gambhir had made a mistake by proclaiming KL Rahul was the ‘best.’

More recently, during the 2025 IPL, Pant came in for flak as skipper of the Lucknow Super Giants as he was bought for Rs 27 crores. Some said, he was overpriced, though not the LSG bosses. As much as Pant is an entertainer, his brand value in Test cricket is true blue chip. His batting and vice captaincy puts him right on top today in the world of cricket.