It remains quite an astonishing truth that Rishabh Pant has so far had a much better and more successful Test career than his limited-overs career for India.
Pant’s pyrotechnics with the bat as a youngster in the IPL and domestic cricket got him an India cap, and he was expected to take replace MS Dhoni to the tee. However, Pant remains an uncertainty in India’s white-ball teams, but is a sure starter in the Test side for what the 25-year-old has already achieved in the longest format.
Rishabh Pant made his Test debut in 2018
There were a few alternative wicket-keeping options tried in the post-Dhoni era. Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Karthi, Naman Ojha, and Wriddhiman Saha. The others couldn’t grab their chances and Saha was often injured, paving the way for Pant to make his Test debut in England in 2018. In only his third Test, at the Oval, the left-hander cracked his maiden Test ton. Then on his maiden tour of Australia, in 2018/19, Pant smashed another century, 159* in Sydney.
But then a couple of ordinary Tests in New Zealand, and a dip in white-ball cricket led to his axing from the Adelaide Test in 2020. The 36-all out forced India to bring back Pant and drop Saha.
Then, it was history: 97 in the epic Sydney draw, and 89* in the historic Gabba win meant Rishabh Pant’s career saw a stunning resurge.
He continued to roll on: scores of 91 and 101 at home vs England; 100* vs South Africa in Cape Town, followed by 96 vs Sri Lanka in Mohali, and 146 vs England at Edgbaston.
Is Rishabh Pant India’s best Test batsman currently?
Yes. Since December 2020, no Indian batsman has scored more Test runs than Rishabh Pant’s tally of 1355 runs. The southpaw has scored these runs in 19 Tests at an average of 46 and strike rate of 76, smashing 3 centuries and 8 fifties in this period. Behind Pant is Cheteshwar Pujara, who has just crossed 1000 runs in this period recently at an average of 29.
Since cricket resumed in the pandemic era, Rohit Sharma averages 45 in 13 Tests while Virat Kohli averages a lowly 28 in 17 Tests, Jadeja averages 40 while KL Rahul 37.
So amid the talks of Rishabh Pant’s highly electrifying, flamboyant, aggressive batting in Test cricket, the left-hander has been India’s best batsman in the last couple of years.
