Rishabh Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper to crack the top ten of the ICC batsmen’s Test Rankings. Pant ranked 6th in the ICC Test batting charts for the first time in his career. Pant has been outstanding in India’s last two Test series, which were played in Australia and at home against England. Pant also scored his third Test century during this time frame, with a counter-attacking century against England in the final Test in Ahmedabad. Delhi Capitals, his Indian Premier League (IPL) team, congratulated him on the achievement on Twitter.
Pant has turned it around in the last six months after being cut from India’s white-ball squad for their tour of Australia following a quiet IPL 2020 season.
He smashed two vital half-centuries against Australia, one securing an unexpected draw in Sydney and the other securing a victory against all odds at the Gabba.
He scored 92 in the first Test against England and followed it up with an undefeated 58 in the second.
Career-high ranking 📈
— Delhi Capitals (Stay Home. Wear Double Masks😷) (@DelhiCapitals) May 6, 2021
A first for an 🇮🇳 wicket-keeper 💙
Congratulations on making history, @RishabhPant17 🙌🏻#YehHaiNayiDilli #ICCRankings pic.twitter.com/7a7jQzS3RU
Pant scored a match-winning century in the fourth Test to help India win the series 3-1 after a low-scoring third Test in Ahmedabad.
Pant shone in the ODI series that followed after several quickfire cameos in the T20 International series.
Pant scored a swashbuckling 77 off just 40 deliveries after replacing the injured Shreyas Iyer in the second ODI after being left on the bench in the first.
Pant hit a watchful 62-ball 78 in the series decider to help the hosts avoid a collapse.
In place of Shreyas Iyer, Pant has been appointed as the new captain of the Delhi Capitals for the 2021 IPL season.
Pant aided the Delhi Capitals to a second-place finish in the table before the tournament was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday due to a series of incidents involving players and personnel.