Rishabh Pant proved why he is considered one of the best players in Test cricket as the Indian wicketkeeper-batter hit his second century of the first Test against England at Headingley.
Pant completed a 130-ball ton, to go with his first innings score of 134, as India's second innings lead went past 350 on Day 4 in Yorkshire.
The left-handed keeper batter became the first Indian to score hundreds in both innings of a Test against England.
He also became only the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score hundreds in both innings of a Test following Andy Flower's scores of 142 and 199 not out for Zimbabwe against South Africa at Harare in 2001.
Pant's innings included including 13 fours and two sixes as India upped the ante in the second session to reach 298-4 in 75 overs.
He was out for 118, caught by Zak Crawley off the bowling of Shoaib Bashir.
While Pant went on the attack, opening batter KL Rahul was all about technique as he reached three figures with minimum fuss.
After a morning session in which India captain Shubman Gill was the only batsman dismissed, Rahul and Pant raised the tempo in contrasting styles as India scored 80 runs in the first hour of the second session.
Rahul hit off-spinner Bashir for a textbook cover-drive four, while Pant edged Josh Tongue through a vacant second slip position and, on the next ball, thrashed him through the covers.
Another edge through the cordon took Pant to 49 before he completed an 83-ball fifty.
He then took on Bashir, driving the young spinner for two sixes in three balls.
Rahul, meanwhile, completed a 202-ball century featuring 13 fours. It was his ninth century in 59 Tests.
Pant and Rahul's stand was worth 195 runs. The first fifty runs took 19 overs, the second took 12 overs, and the third just six overs as they absorbed England's attack on a lively pitch in the morning before letting loose after lunch.
But the star of the day was Pant.
A month back, Rishabh Pant was enduring a torrid time, wondering where the next run on next win would come from as the new wicketkeeper, captain and star batter of the Lucknow franchise in the IPL.
But just as he struggles in white-ball format, Pant almost always delivers in red-ball cricket.
The open spaces and absence of fielding restrictions mean Pant can build the innings at his own pace. And his natural rate of scoring is very high, which becomes highly effective in Tests but seems average in shorter formats.
It has been a stunning return to cricket for Pant, who back in 2022 was severely injured in a life-threatening car crash but made an earlier than expected return to competitive cricket.
He was a member of the victorious national team in the 2024 T20 World Cup and went on to become the most expensive player in the history of the IPL.
And now, Pant, who is the vice-captain of the side, has hit back-to-back tons in the opening Test.
