3 records of MS Dhoni that Rishabh Pant can break
Rishabh Pant was always touted as the best long-term successor to MS Dhoni in Indian colors. In a short but exciting international career thus far, the southpaw has lived up to his reputation and talent big time.
The ride hasn't been smooth, however, given whose shoes he was stepping into. With an illustrious record across formats, the Chennai Super Kings captain's CV was always going to be tough to emulate once the former skipper was done with his international career. It wouldn't have helped the prodigious Pant one bit when chants of 'Dhoni, Dhoni!' rang out following an error during his early wicket-keeping days.
The boos have turned into chants of raucous applause over time. This has come down to the Delhi dasher coming clutch on numerous instances for India and writing himself into eternal folklore.
The southpaw's meteoric rise has been a pleasing one for many an Indian fan. The 24-year-old maverick has learnt a few tricks of the trade from the master himself too, and has called him his go-to person in times gone by.
On that note, we look at three records held by Dhoni that could be broken by Pant in time to come.
1. Most sixes in international cricket by an Indian wicket-keeper
If there's one evident similarity between Pant and a young Dhoni when he first burst onto the scene, it is the ability to clear the fence at will. Captain Cool holds the record for the most sixes by an Indian wicket-keeper across all formats of international cricket, having cleared the fence 359 times.
As of now, Pant's tally stands at 109 and with a full career ahead of him, that count is only set to be in the ascendancy. It helps that he has a wide range of strokes and can improvize in a manner starkly unique to his competitors.
Don't be surprised then, should he overtake Dhoni on this front and hold this record in due course of time. If anybody can, it sure has to be the Delhi Capitals skipper.
#2 Highest score by an Indian wicket-keeper in Tests
#OnThisDay in 2013, MS Dhoni became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a double hundred in Tests 🙌
His brilliant knock of 224 eventually helped India defeat Australia by eight wickets in Chennai. https://t.co/yYEH04qd1K
MS Dhoni's belligerent 224 against Australia in 2013 saw him become the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a double-hundred in Test cricket. He remains one of the very few glovemen to have scaled the 200-run barrier, but if there is one man who can join him, it is Rishabh Pant.
For the record, the southpaw already boasts of five tons in 31 appearances in the longest format, with four of them coming overseas. With a string of scores in the 90s as well, he clearly has a penchant for big runs and could well become the second Indian wicket-keeper to score a double-hundred.
He might have to do it while batting alongside the tail - a case similar to Dhoni's during his attempt. You can put your money on the young swashbuckler to come up trumps with his flamboyant style of batting though.
Also read: 3 qualities of Rishabh Pant that make him a potential future Indian captain
#3 Most dismissals in international cricket by an Indian wicket-keeper
Unsurprisingly, this record too belongs to MS Dhoni with 829 dismissals across all international formats. The two other stalwarts ahead of him happen to be Mark Boucher and Adam Gilchrist.
When Pant first burst onto the scene, he copped a lot of criticism for his wicket-keeping skills. His work ethic behind the scenes has seen him mature on that front as one of the most improved glovemen doing the rounds today. The apprentice has also picked the brains of his mentor along the way to that end.
Pant will turn 25 this October and the sky is the limit as far as what he could potentially go on to achieve in international cricket is concerned. Donning the national colors for plenty of years to come is a foregone conclusion and by the time he's done playing, he could well snatch this record from his famous predecessor as well.
Is there any other record held by Dhoni that you think could be broken by Pant? Let us know in the comments section below!