India vs England: Pant can overtake Virat Kohli in elite list during Edgbaston Test

The Indian team currently touring England is a fairly inexperienced group. Treading under the leadership of the young Shubman Gill, the visitors are finding their feet in the India vs England Test after the exits of their seasoned seniors. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, shockingly, opted for the time right ahead of the new WTC cycle to announce their Test retirements. While Shubman Gill claimed the leading spot, domestic stalwarts Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan earned much-awaited call-ups to the squad for the England series. Meanwhile, amid the significant transition, the likes of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have emerged as the experienced ones in the lineup.

Rishabh Pant scripted a record-breaking run in the India vs England opener at Headingley

KL Rahul, now the senior-most batter in the Indian lineup, showed his prowess to prove a pillar for his team in the English conditions. Rishabh Pant, meanwhile, extended his dominance over Bazball. Coming out to bat at No. 5 in the first innings of the opening India vs England Test at Headingley, Pant charged ahead on his second delivery against the English skipper, Ben Stokes. The wicketkeeper hit one straight, right above Stokes's head, to score his first boundary of the match. Pant's audacity in red-ball cricket is astonishing. The bat may fly out of his hands, even the shoes can be left behind when Pant bats, and yet the opponents never gauge what the batsman would do next.

While Rishabh Pant has evolved to tone down his natural risk-taking batting in Test cricket, it's a thrilling sight when the instincts take over. In the first innings at Headingley, Pant walked out after Yashasvi Jaiswal had opened with a century. The task at hand was to partner with his captain, Shubman Gill, and mount the lead as high as possible in the seemingly dead conditions in Leeds. India's new captain and vice-captain played their roles perfectly.

Gill piled his century, and Pant followed not long after. The century in the opening innings of the India vs England Test marked Pant's 7th Test ton. The tally took him to the top of the list of most centuries scored by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests, above the legendary MS Dhoni, who managed six in his career. However, the record-breaking run of Pant at Headingley didn't stop just there. After England had drawn level with the visitors, Pant came out to bat again, this time settling in to script an impressive partnership with KL Rahul.

After the swift departures of Jaiswal and Kohli, the seniors took the onus in Leeds. KL Rahul, who had fallen short of a fifty in the opening innings despite looking in the right flow, converted his good start into a big score. Rishabh Pant, meanwhile, did what he does best: playing the fire to Rahul's ice on the other hand. As Rahul treaded cautiously, Pant took on the English bowlers freely, swiftly piling on another century in the India vs England match. The 118, which came after the 134 in the first innings, made Rishabh Pant only the second wicketkeeper-batter after Andy Flower to score twin tons in Test history. 

Pant's twin tons in the opening India vs England Test marked the batter's eighth Test ton. Interestingly, out of the total eight centuries, Pant has scored six away from home. Even more astonishing is that four out of the six away tons have been scored in England. Clearly, Pant has a liking for going big in England, a nation where India is yet to win their first Test series since 2007.

Rishabh Pant could overtake Virat Kohli in the record-books during the Edgbaston Test

As the visitors gear up for the second Test, scheduled at Edgbaston, Birmingham, Pant has the chance to go past India's modern-day Test legend, Virat Kohli, in the record books. India has never won a Test match at Edgbaston. Shubman Gill and Co. would hope to break the curse this time, and one of their biggest aids in that purpose is surely Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja are the only players from the current squad that have hit a ton in Birmingham.

Virat Kohli, who retired in May right ahead of the India vs England series, has one at the venue as well. Now, if Rishabh Pant keeps up his top form, as seen in the series opener, the wicketkeeper will overtake Kohli. Virat Kohli has scored five centuries against England. Rishabh Pant, with four in England and one at home, sits equal to Kohli in the list.

If Pant scores another in the second India vs England Test at Edgbaston, the 27-year-old will go past Virat Kohli with six tons against England in Test cricket. Overall, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, with seven centuries each, lead the list of the most centuries hit by an Indian batsman against England in Test cricket. Former star Mohammad Azharuddin has six to his name, a number that Pant would like to match at Edgbaston this time.