For the first time in his Test career, which is now 31 Tests old, Rishabh Pant has made two fifty-plus scores in the same Test when he went past the half-century landmark in India’s second innings of the ongoing Edgbaston Test versus England on Monday. His 57-run knock, coming in 86 balls, helped take England lead past 300.
Having clattered 146 runs off 111 balls in the first innings – also when he bailed India out of trouble – this knock was a bit un-Pant.
To think he showed immense restraint when Joe Root was given the ball not long after the left-hander had arrived at the crease. Root had dismissed Pant in the first innings when he edged a slog.
Pant hits a century and fifty in same Test match
Now, even though Pant had the license to go after Root’s off-spin, and nobody would have really questioned his method, Pant shed his attacking instincts. Not only he didn’t attempt any slogs or big hits, he was even leaving Root’s tempters outside off-stump.
For was playing the situation as India needed to build a big lead, to bat England out of the game – if it’s even possible in this BazBall era – but anyway, Pant didn’t go after the bait this time, and that showed his maturity and game awareness.
After the fall of three wickets, he came in at the fag end of Day 3 and saw India unscathed along with Cheteshwar Pujara. He batted with the same patience and self-control on the morning of Day 4 – leaving balls outside off-stump while also taking regular boundaries.
He was actively taking singles and twos and barely looked out of control. He brought up his fifty in 76 balls, glancing Stuart Broad toward the fine leg fence and raised his bat to huge applause from the crowd and the Indian dressing room.
The sight of Jack Leach, though, saw Pant show some aggression, as on the first ball he faced off the spinner, he moved way outside off to sweep him behind square. However, Leach finally had his man, as Pant edged a reverse-sweep to first slip where Joe Root takes a sharp catch.
Netizens couldn’t stop gushing over Rishabh Pant’s brilliant innings and the superb Test match he has had with the bat in hand.
Here are some of the best tweets commending Pant:
Most runs for India in Intls in 2022
Rishabh Pant 836
Shreyas Iyer 677
Ishan Kishan 439
Virat Kohli 431
Ravindra Jadeja 397 pic.twitter.com/zS8sbHYEsV— shriya (@comeonrish) July 4, 2022
Rishabh Pant set new record as Wicket-Keeper#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/sCSQ9vpwLv@ICC @yuzi_chahal @iKrithiShetty
— ꪜỉꪹꪖᡶ ƙꪮꫝꪶỉ
(@vkohli_005) July 4, 2022
(@vkohli_005) India 245. Target 378 set. Well played Pujara, Pant n co.
— Rohan R Shanbhag (@rony619619) July 4, 2022
Rishabh Pant becomes only the second Indian Wicketkeeper to score a century and a fifty in the same Test match.#ENGvsIND
— Arman Malik (@Armanmalik9582) July 4, 2022
“Alexa, show me a photo that sums up how Rishabh Pant sees Test-match batting” pic.twitter.com/zwKOAEhZUZ
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) July 4, 2022
Rishabh pant Beautiful innings comes to an end
The man of tough time— Isha Negi (@IshaaNegi17) July 4, 2022
After Virat, Pant is the new Ambassador of test cricket in India. @imVkohli @RishabhPant17 pic.twitter.com/8bNFC9LzGm
— Ayush
(@vkkings007) 
