Rishabh Pant's legacy continues to grow in Test cricket with an astounding fifth century in the format which he scored against England in the fifth rescheduled Test at Edgbaston. Pant is only 24 but each of his five centuries have been of epic proportions, so much so that it would get really hard if you are to pick one above the other four. And yet, the 146 in the first innings could be right up there.
But as Pant's graph continues to rise in Tests, his limited-overs form, especially the T20Is, remain a concern. In 48 T20Is, Pant has scored 715 runs with three half-centuries, the last of which came against West Indies in February. But for such a fantastic Test player, his numbers in white-ball formats aren't exactly jaw-dropping. The notion going around at the moment is that Pant is a far better Test player than in ODIs and T20Is, but if former England fast bowler Darren Gough is to be believed, that will change soon.
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"He played so very well. There is no way Pant will not get runs in T20 cricket for India in the next 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 years. He will dominate T20 cricket. He has got such a talent. And no boundary is big enough, he hits the ball so long," Gough told Cricket.com.
{{/usCountry}}"He played so very well. There is no way Pant will not get runs in T20 cricket for India in the next 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 years. He will dominate T20 cricket. He has got such a talent. And no boundary is big enough, he hits the ball so long," Gough told Cricket.com.
{{/usCountry}}A veteran of 58 Tests and 159 ODIs, Gough lavished high praise on Pant for his century in the first innings. With India struggling at 98/5, Pant scored an 89-ball century and added a 222-run stand with another centurion Ravindra Jadeja. That Pant did it against an England attack comprising Stuart Broad and Anderson and did not flinch even a little was rather outstanding, reckons Gough.
"You know, I wouldn't look too deep into it. I think he is a serious talent. How can you not enjoy watching him bat? Absolute delight against some high-quality bowling by the way. Just look at the England attack. You have got two guys there – Broad and Anderson – who have got 1200 wickets between them in Test, Ben Stokes who is the most under-rated Test bowler out there. Potts is learning his way but that seam attack is as good as it gets other than Australia," the former quick mentioned.