Michael Vaughan decodes the brilliance of Rishabh Pant in Test cricket

The visitors staged multiple instances to complain about during the opening Test against England at Headingley. However, the batting of Rishabh Pant was not one of them. Coming out at the fifth spot in the Indian batting order, Rishabh Pant batted his way into the record books. The wicketkeeper-batsman hit twin centuries in the first India vs England Test. In doing so, the 27-year-old joined Andy Flower as only the second wicketkeeper-batter in the history of Test cricket to score centuries in both innings of a Test. Although his team lost the fixture in Leeds by 5 wickets, Pant has garnered remarkable praise from the cricket fraternity for his audacious batting.

The phenomenal showing of Rishabh Pant in the opening India vs England Test at Headingley has earned widespread praise, including from some of England’s most revered former players. His centuries in both innings stood out as the shining beacon of India’s effort, even as the visitors succumbed to a five-wicket loss. Pant’s fearless and unconventional style managed to win over not just fans, but even seasoned voices from the opposing camp.

During an appearance on a show, former England captain Michael Vaughan was full of admiration for the left-handed batter. Vaughan lauded Pant’s distinctive approach, a mix of unpredictability, bold strokeplay, and surprising consistency. The former English captain likened his flair to some of the finest wicketkeeper-batters the sport has witnessed. 

"There’s a lot of science in that madness, the way that he plays,” Vaughan said. “You can see even Ben Stokes is admiring when he’s batting.

Michael Vaughan, while lauding Rishabh Pant, mentioned the legendary Adam Gilchrist. The former English captain noted that Gilchrist is his favourite wicketkeeper-batsman ever in the game. Moreover, Vaughan also mentioned the former World Cup-winning Indian captain, MS Dhoni, as a splendid white-ball player. But Vaughan explained that Pant carries a flair that is unique from all.

“Adam Gilchrist for me is the best wicketkeeper-batter,” Vaughan remarked. “But Pant just set a new trend. I mean, MS Dhoni, across white ball cricket, was fantastic. You would think with the way that he plays, Pant would be completely suited to the white ball game and not so much the Test game. But his Test record is miles better than his white ball record.”

Despite the twin tons by Pant and the additional century knocks from captain Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and KL Rahul, India fell short at Headingley. The lower-middle order failed to deliver and the bowling unit, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, lacked the firepower to contain England. With the series now set to resume on July 2 at Edgbaston, both teams will look to reassess and regroup for the crucial second encounter.