Rishabh Pant scored a remarkable century at Headingley in the first Test against England on Saturday, surpassing MS Dhoni’s record for most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter. The 27-year-old’s innings of 134 ended when he was dismissed by Josh Tongue, leading to criticism from commentator Dinesh Karthik regarding head coach Gautam Gambhir’s possible intervention that may have affected Pant’s natural gameplay. Pant celebrated his milestone with a somersault celebration that entertained the packed crowd at Leeds. His century contributed to India’s total of 471, where he joined Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill as century-makers for the visitors in the innings. The dismissal occurred in the 108th over when Tongue delivered an inswinging delivery that Pant left alone, resulting in the ball hitting his pad near the knee roll. Replays confirmed the ball would have hit middle and leg stump. Dinesh Karthik, commentating for Sky Sports, observed a change in Pant’s approach following a possible message from the coaching staff. “Also very interesting, when a message was sent out to Rishabh Pant, it curbed his style of play. He was just very carefree with his stroke making, and yet the feeling that a message was sent to tell him to calm down doesn’t work for certain players, I guess,” Karthik said on air.
Karthik emphasized the importance of communication methods between coaches and players. “As a coach, it’s completely understandable when you want to get a message across to the batter. But over time, you realise, for certain players, how you send that message becomes very important, what is the tone, what is the language used that gets the best out of the batter,” he stated. The former India wicketkeeper-batter suggested a different approach might be necessary for Pant. “Maybe with Rishabh Pant, it needs to be a different way in which you get things done,” Karthik commented. Quiz: Who’s that IPL player? India’s innings experienced a collapse in the first session of Day 2, losing four wickets in the final thirty minutes. Shubman Gill (147), Karun Nair (0), Rishabh Pant (134), and Shardul Thakur (1) were dismissed during this period. The Indian team’s final seven wickets fell for just 41 runs, with Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes claiming four wickets each for England. The match began with England captain Stokes winning the toss and choosing to bowl first at Headingley. The innings featured three centurions from India – Jaiswal, Gill, and Pant – who helped the team reach a substantial total despite the late collapse. Their contributions formed the backbone of India’s first innings score of 471. The match situation reflected both India’s batting strength through their century-makers and their vulnerability, losing wickets in clusters during the latter part of their innings. England’s bowlers, particularly Tongue and Stokes, capitalized on this period to restrict India’s total.
