“He is one of the best batters in the world” - Harry Brook’s massive praise for Indian star ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test
England star batter Harry Brook branded Team India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant as one of the best batters in the world ahead of the second Test of the five-match series in Edgbaston, Birmingham. The two ace players were in the thick of the proceedings during the series opener in Headingley, Leeds, as Rishabh Pant scored twin hundreds, while Brook agonisingly perished on 99 in the first innings.
Although Rishabh Pant is struggling with inconsistency in his white-ball career, he is going from strength to strength in the longest format. The wicket-keeper batter has slammed three centuries in Tests since his return from a lengthy injury layoff, breaching the existing record among Indians previously held by MS Dhoni.
Pant's audacious batting style has caught everyone's eye, and the success the approach has brought him has helped him cement the wicket-keeper spot in the Indian team, with almost no competition. He has made life difficult for the English bowlers on the tour so far, leaving them searching for answers against his unpredictability.
Harry Brook praised Rishabh Pant's set of knocks in Leeds, where he scored 134 and 118 in the first and second innings, respectively, to rattle the opposition.
“He is an awesome player. I enjoyed watching him bat. He’s an eye-catcher; everyone turns on the television when he bats. In my opinion, he is one of the best batters in the world,” Brook said in an interaction with The Hindu.
Pant's centuries, however, ended in vain as England stitched up a record run chase effort in the fourth innings to scale the 371-run target, and claim a series lead in the process.
Rishabh Pant is the second-highest ranked Indian batter in ICC Test Rankings
The wicket-keeper batter's recent heroics helped him climb one place to seventh in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Rankings for Test batters. He is the second-highest ranked batter among Indians, placed only behind the fourth-ranked Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Rishabh Pant had a pull off a massive shift in the series opener as he kept the gloves on for 182.4 overs across both innings, while playing a couple of marathon knocks as well. However, a one-week break after the first Test promises to be sufficient recovery for the vice-captain, who is expected to take the field for the second Test of the series, beginning on Wednesday, July 2.