NEW DELHI: How often have we seen Rishabh Pant lose his temper on a cricket field? Rarely, if ever. But on Day 3 of the first Test at Headingley, the usually calm and composed wicketkeeper-batter had a rare moment of visible frustration.The incident occurred when Pant requested the on-field umpire to change the ball. The umpire denied the request, leading to an animated reaction from Pant, who threw the ball away in anger. Jasprit Bumrah also joined the discussion, pointing out the condition of the ball, but the umpire stood firm and rejected the appeal again.Despite the momentary flash of emotion, Pant’s bat did all the talking as he continued to rewrite the record books in red-ball cricket.He overtook former India captain Rohit Sharma to become the team’s leading six-hitter in the history of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). Pant has now smashed 62 sixes in WTC matches, surpassing Rohit’s tally of 56 in 40 Tests. The 27-year-old has achieved this feat in just 35 matches, amassing 2,386 runs at an average of 41.85, including five centuries and 13 fifties.Globally, England captain Ben Stokes leads the WTC six-hitting charts with 83 sixes in 54 Tests.Pant also surpassed MS Dhoni to register the most Test centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter. His seventh Test ton came on Saturday, taking him one clear of Dhoni’s six. This was also his fifth Test hundred in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries — the most by any Asian batter. He now has three Test tons in England, and one each in Australia and South Africa.
With this, Pant has equalled Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara for the most Test centuries (7) as a designated wicketkeeper among Asian players.On Day 2, Pant had also crossed the 3,000-run mark in Tests, becoming only the second Indian wicketkeeper to do so after Dhoni. He is now the most successful Asian keeper-batter in SENA countries in terms of runs scored.In 44 Tests, Pant has scored 3,082 runs at an average of 43.40, including seven centuries and 15 half-centuries. His runs have come at a remarkable strike rate of 73.69 — a testament to his fearless and counterattacking style.
