NEW DELHI: Following Rishabh Pant’s sensational twin centuries in the ongoing Leeds Test at Headingley, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes the India vice-captain could surpass Rahul Dravid’s record for most centuries by an Indian in England.Pant’s remarkable hundred in the second innings on Day 4 of the opening Test against England shattered multiple records. With a blend of flamboyance and discipline, the wicketkeeper-batter carved a memorable knock that added to his growing legacy in red-ball cricket.Speaking on Match Centre Live after the conclusion of Day 4, JioCinema expert Sanjay Manjrekar heaped praise on Pant’s rare achievement.“When you look at all of Rishabh Pant’s achievements, the first instinct is to think of him purely as a batter — and understandably so. When you’re talking about batting exploits in England, scoring twin hundreds, the names he’s being compared with are legends like Dilip Vengsarkar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sunil Gavaskar. But here’s the remarkable part — he’s also a wicketkeeper. That’s what makes it almost unbelievable,” Manjrekar said.He further underlined the significance of Pant’s dual role in the team.“I know someone like Kumar Sangakkara had a phenomenal batting record, but he wasn’t quite the keeper that Rishabh Pant is. Pant is India’s first and last choice as a wicketkeeper in this Test side — and that says a lot,” he added.Manjrekar also pointed to the statistical possibility of Pant eclipsing Dravid’s tally of six Test centuries in England, with four matches still to be played in the ongoing series.“If you look at the numbers — most hundreds by Indians in Tests in England — Rahul Dravid leads with six. And suddenly, you have Pant’s name in that same elite bracket. There’s a nice little twist — there are two Rahul’s in this story. You’ve got KL Rahul, and you’ve got Rishabh Pant. Who knows, by the time this series is done, Pant could match or even surpass Rahul Dravid. There are still four Tests to go in this series — that’s potentially eight innings for Pant. He’s already started in near-perfect fashion,” he concluded.Most Test centuries in England (by Indian batters):
| Player | Matches | Runs | Centuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rahul Dravid | 6 | 846 | 6 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 4 | 611 | 4 |
| Rishabh Pant | 3 | 512 | 4 |
| Dilip Vengsarkar | 4 | 488 | 4 |
| KL Rahul | 3 | 415 | 3 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 3 | 395 | 3 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 2 | 322 | 2 |
| Mohammad Azharuddin | 2 | 300 | 2 |
| Ravi Shastri | 2 | 287 | 2 |
| Virat Kohli | 2 | 252 | 2 |
Pant had earlier scored 134 in the first innings and followed it up with a commanding 118 in the second, partnering with KL Rahul in a 195-run stand that placed India firmly in control. His approach was notably adaptive — switching from his natural aggression to a more measured style as the situation demanded. From 96, he cautiously moved to 99 before reaching his second hundred with a single off Shoaib Bashir, becoming the first Indian batter to score a century in each innings of a Test in England.
With this feat, Pant joined India’s exclusive twin-century club, alongside Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar (3 times), Rahul Dravid (twice), Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma.The 27-year-old also became only the second designated wicketkeeper-batter to score hundreds in both innings of a Test — after Andy Flower, who achieved the feat in Harare against South Africa in 2001 with scores of 142 and 199*.Pant’s name now features among legendary visiting batters who have recorded five consecutive 50-plus scores in England — alongside Don Bradman, Hansie Cronje, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kumar Sangakkara, and Daryl Mitchell. Only Steven Smith (7) has more.His match aggregate of 252 runs (134 & 118) is the highest ever by a designated wicketkeeper in a Test in England, surpassing Alec Stewart’s 204 (40 & 164) against South Africa at Old Trafford in 1998.Pant also equaled the record for most sixes in a Test innings in England, finishing with nine, alongside Andrew Flintoff (2005 Ashes, Edgbaston) and Ben Stokes (2023 Ashes, Lord’s).Across 10 Tests and 19 innings in England, Pant has now amassed 808 runs at an average of 42.52, with four centuries, two fifties, and a strike rate of 69.89 — underlining his dominance and evolving legacy in challenging overseas conditions.
