Rishabh Pant notched his seventh Test century during the ongoing match at Leeds. Renowned cricket commentator Sanjay Manjrekar heaped praise on Pant after the India wicket-keeper’s impressive century in the first England vs India Test at Headingley, Leeds. The left-handed batsman scored 134 runs off 178 balls in the first innings, featuring 12 fours and six sixes.
At 27 years old, this marks Pant’s seventh Test century and his third on English soil. His outstanding innings also saw him break several records. Pant became the Asian wicket-keeper with the highest aggregate runs in the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia), surpassing MS Dhoni.
Additionally, with this seventh Test century, Pant overtook Dhoni’s record to become the Indian wicket-keeper with the most Test hundreds. Dhoni previously held the record with six centuries in his Test career.
Sanjay Manjrekar Hails Rishabh Pant as India’s Greatest Test Wicket-Keeper Batter
Sanjay Manjrekar, serving as a commentator for India’s 2025 tour of England, showered high praise on Rishabh Pant following his century in the first Test. Manjrekar declared Pant to be India’s finest wicket-keeper batter in Test cricket history.
“Without a doubt, India’s greatest ever Test wicket-keeper batter. When he was in the 90s, I was worried he might end up with his eighth 90-plus score. It’s incredible how many times he’s reached the 90s! But he’s truly a breath of fresh air,” Manjrekar said on JioHotstar.
He also highlighted the warm reception Rishabh Pant received from the English crowd after his innings. When Rishabh Pant got out and raised his bat, many English supporters stood up and applauded. That’s the beauty of cricket in England — the fans come to witness great cricket. Of course, they want their team to win, but when they see excellence from the opposition, they show genuine appreciation,” added the 59-year-old commentator.
Rishabh Pant century helped India post a commanding total of 471 all out in their first innings. Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 101 off 159 balls and Shubman Gill contributed 147 off 227 deliveries. England’s Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue took four wickets each. England won the toss and chose to bowl first in the match.
