3 records Rishabh Pant broke en route to his 100* (139) in India vs South Africa 2022 Cape Town Test
Rishabh Pant played one of the finest knocks of his international career earlier today against South Africa at Newlands.
The 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter smashed an unbeaten 100*(139) to help the Indian cricket team post a 198-run total on the board in the second innings.
India were 57/2 at the start of the day. The visitors lost veteran batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in quick succession.
Captain Virat Kohli then stabilized the innings with Rishabh Pant. The duo added 96 runs for the fifth wicket before Lungi Ngidi scalped Kohli's wicket.
Pant held one end and completed his fourth Test century. He ultimately ran out of partners as Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah could not support him well.
Nevertheless, Pant managed to break multiple records during his historic innings. Here's a list of the three records he shattered en route to his maiden Test hundred on South African soil.
#1 Rishabh Pant became the first Asian wicket-keeper to smash a Test hundred in South Africa
Rishabh Pant becomes the first Asian wicket-keeper to hit a hundred in Tests in South Africa.
India played their first Test match on South African soil back in 1992.
The ongoing Cape Town Test match is the Indian cricket team's 23rd Test in South Africa, but before Pant, not a single Indian wicket-keeper managed to score a ton on South African soil.
Interestingly, wicket-keepers from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also failed to accomplish the feat.
The three nations have toured the rainbow nation on multiple occasions and played a total of 38 Tests, but none of the wicket-keepers could touch the three-figure mark in conditions that assist the quicker bowlers.
Pant has become the founding member of an elite club, and it will be interesting to see if some other names join him soon.
#2 Rishabh Pant is the only Asian wicket-keeper to score 3 Test hundreds in SENA countries
114 at The Oval
159* at Sydney
100* at Capetown
Rishabh Pant ~ 1st Asian WK with 3 Test Centuries In SENA
#INDvsSA
Prior to his century at Newlands, Pant also registered Test hundreds at the Sydney Cricket Ground and The Oval.
Courtesy of his excellent performances at the aforementioned venues, the Indian wicket-keeper has become the first from Asia to record three Test tons in SENA countries.
New Zealand is the only SENA country where Pant is yet to record a three-digit score. It should not be a surprise if the left-handed batter ends his century drought in New Zealand in the coming years.
#3 Rishabh Pant's one-man army effort takes him above Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev on elite list
Test hundreds by Indians having lowest combined total of all other 10 teammates batting then:
70 - Rishabh Pant v SA at Cape Town, today
78 - Kapil Dev v SA at Port Elizabeth, 1992
83 - Sachin Tendulkar v ENG at Birmingham, 1996
#SAvIND
Although Pant scored a century in Cape Town, the Indian cricket team only managed a 198-run total in their second innings.
Fans should note that extras contributed 28 runs to the Indian total, meaning the rest of the players managed only 70 runs with the willow.
Pant's one-man army performance has taken him above Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar on the list of Indian players who scored a ton when the other 10 batters managed less than 100 runs.
Kapil held the record for the lowest total by his teammates (78) in an innings where he scored a century, but Pant is number one now.