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Rishabh Pant brought up his century with a one-handed mow off Shoaib Bashir into the Western Terrace, and celebrated with a somersault. Somehow it felt like a normal few seconds in the life of the world’s most watchable cricketer.
There was more to come as India threatened mayhem on the second morning of the first Test. Two balls later, he deposited Bashir for a straight six.
Not long after that, he slog-swept him for six more. Next ball, on 124, he charged at Bashir, and should have been stumped by Jamie Smith. It was like watching a highlights package, in real time.
The only surprise came after a message arrived in the middle from India’s 12th man. Pant went into his shell, and was finally
leg-before to Josh Tongue for 134 playing a shot few knew existed in his repertoire: the shouldering of arms. Had he been advised to rein it in? If so, England were delighted.
Still, a bright morning in Leeds had been further illuminated by Pant’s brilliance, thrilling a capacity 18,000 crowd who were cheering mainly for England but couldn’t help but be enchanted by India’s wicketkeeper. And the tourists’ subsequent collapse, with seven falling for 41, only reinforced the value of his knock.
India's Rishabh Pant celebrates after reaching his century against England on Saturday
Pant brought up his century with a one-handed mow off Shoaib Bashir, and celebrated with a somersault
Somehow it felt like a normal few seconds in the life of the world’s most watchable cricketer
Pant arrived in England needing no introduction, his reputation as an innovator and an imp preceding him. And on the first evening here, when others might have defended in the day’s last over against the second new ball, he danced at Chris Woakes and smeared him for six.
It was the shot of a player at ease with himself — and with the potential consequences of his actions. This is a man who nearly died in a car crash two and a half years ago. What does cricket matter?
The Indian debate around Pant can feel like a microcosm of the English debate around Bazball: when he comes off, he’s loved; when he doesn’t, he’s loathed. ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid,’ roared Sunil Gavaskar after one harebrained dismissal in Australia over the winter. No one felt inclined to disagree.
But you’d have to be especially po-faced not to enjoy Pant, who now has more Test hundreds — seven — than any other Indian wicketkeeper, including MS Dhoni. Throw in seven dismissals in the nineties, and there is a strong case for handing Pant the gloves in a World XI.
Three of his hundreds have now come in England, two more than any other visiting wicketkeeper. His innings, meanwhile, contained six sixes, a record for any tourist in this country, gloves or not.
Pant, still only 27, was made vice-captain for this trip, part of India’s reset following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, yet there was no expectation that the step up in office would be accompanied by greater responsibility.
Whether falling over while sweeping Bashir over his shoulder, or advancing at the quicks as if they were medium-pacers, Pant does things his way. Cricket fans on both sides are in for quite a summer.
