James Anderson and Matthew Potts combined to reduce India to 98 for five in the second session which saw the dismissal of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara. And just when England sniffed the opportunity to set themselves a low first-innings target, Rishabh Pant had other plans. Combining with Ravindra Jadeja, the sixth-wicket pair fired 222 runs to guide India to 338 for 7 at stumps on Day 1 of the Edgbaston Test on Friday. And en route, Pant played, what was hailed as "one of the best ever counter-attacking knocks".
Lacing 20 boundaries and 4 sixes, Pant notched up his fifth Test century and second in England, en route to his breathtaking knock of 146 runs off 111 deliveries.
The youngster simply toyed with the England bowling attack, particularly with Jack Leach, whom he hit for 59 runs off 32 balls and it included a 22-run over as well.
Moments after the big century, Twitter went abuzz as legends of the game hailed Pant's fabulous innings. Here is how they reacted...
Later in the post-match press conference, Pant spoke about his record-breaking 222-run partnership with Jadeja and revealed the discussion they had before resurrecting India's innings.
{{/usCountry}}Later in the post-match press conference, Pant spoke about his record-breaking 222-run partnership with Jadeja and revealed the discussion they had before resurrecting India's innings.
{{/usCountry}}Pant said, "The discussion between Jadeja and me was that we seek partnership. I was just talking about building a partnership with Jadeja and we were like let's try for a partnership."
"I never take it as a favourite opposition. I do not think much about the opposition. I focus mostly on playing my game. When a bowler pitches the ball consistently in one spot I try to step out. play unconventional shots to unsettle the bowlers," he said.