IND vs ENG: Rishabh Pant Set to Overtake MS Dhoni’s Test Record in 1st Test vs England

Rishabh Pant is on the verge of creating history as India get ready to face England in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. If Pant scores a century in the match, he will become the Indian wicketkeeper with the most hundreds in Test cricket, overtaking MS Dhoni.

Pant currently has five Test centuries to his name. Dhoni, in his 90-match Test career, scored six hundreds and 33 fifties. His highest score remains 224 against Australia in Chennai in 2013, which is also the highest ever Test score by an Indian wicketkeeper.

Pant has a great record in overseas conditions, especially in the SENA countries – South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. In these four nations, Pant has scored 1,681 runs in 26 Tests at an average of 37.35. He has two centuries in England, and one each in South Africa and Australia.

Meanwhile, Dhoni managed 1,731 runs in 32 Tests across the same countries at an average of 31.47. However, he never scored a century there, though he did hit 13 fifties.

There’s also a remarkable coincidence between Dhoni and Pant. Both players scored their maiden Test centuries in their sixth innings. Dhoni smashed 148 against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 2006, while Pant scored 114 against England at The Oval in 2018.

Pant has already set several records as a Test wicketkeeper. He was the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a hundred in England, bettering Dhoni’s record. His 146 at Edgbaston is the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper in England.

He was also the first Indian keeper to hit a Test century in Australia with his unbeaten 159 at the SCG. In 2021, Pant broke Dhoni’s record to become the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to reach 1,000 runs in Test cricket.

Now, if he scores a hundred at Headingley, Pant will move past Dhoni’s tally of six Test centuries, becoming India’s most prolific wicketkeeper-batter in terms of hundreds.