5 records already broken or equaled by Rishabh Pant in his short career so far
A phenomenal batsman, a talented keeper and a skilled babysitter - Rishabh Pant has it all.
Pant has been termed by critics as a left-handed Virender Sehwag, and he is starting to show why. He is a match winner in every sense of the word.
The youngster had a near perfect Indian Premiere League, scoring 684 runs at an average over 50 and a mind-boggling strike rate over 170. In recent months he has even found success in the red ball game, becoming India's top choice wicketkeeper.
Here are 5 records broken by Rishabh Pant in international cricket already:
1. First Indian to hit a six as his first scoring shot in Test cricket
Walking out to the middle in England on debut, Pant was facing the dangerous and in-form Adil Rashid. He defended his first ball.
The second ball, he danced down the track and smashed the ball over the boundary rope to score his first ever Test runs with a six. In the process, he became the first ever Indian to do so.
2. Highest number of catches by a wicketkeeper in a Test match
In the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Adelaide, Pant caught 11 catches, with 6 in the first innings and 5 in the second. He truly showed how catches win matches, as India went on to win the Test against Australia by 31 runs.
Two other keepers to have accomplished this feat are Jack Russell and Ab de Villiers. Pant now shares the record jointly with those two.
3. Highest number of catches by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test series
Pant has take 20 catches in the ongoing series with Australia. He has gone past the record previous held by Naren Tamhane and Syed Kirmani, both of whom had recorded 19 dismissals in 1954-55 and 1979-80 respectively.
4. First Indian wicketkeeper to score a century in England
Pant scored his maiden international century in the last Test at the Oval. He managed 114 runs off just 146 balls.
In the process, he became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a century in England. Pant put up a valuable 204-run partnership with KL Rahul in that innings.
5. First Indian wicketkeeper to score a century in Australia
In the ongoing Sydney Test, Pant essayed a masterful knock at a brisk pace. He scored 159 runs in just 189 balls to put India in a commanding position.
Bringing up his second century, he overtook Farokh Engineer's 89 to claim the highest score by an Indian keeper Down Under.