Rishabh Pant Makes History with Twin Hundreds as India Dominate England at Headingley

Leeds: Rishabh Pant etched his name into the history books on Monday as he became the first Indian batsman to score centuries in both innings of a Test match against England, further strengthening India’s grip on the series opener at Headingley.

The flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman, who smashed 134 in the first innings, followed up with a remarkable 130-ball century in the second, featuring 13 boundaries and two towering sixes. He eventually fell for 118, caught by Zak Crawley off Shoaib Bashir, ending a crucial 195-run partnership with KL Rahul.

India reached 298-4 at tea on Day 4, leading by 304 runs, with Rahul unbeaten on 120. The duo’s counter-attacking stand came at a critical juncture, with India reeling at 92-3 earlier in the innings.

Pant, who continues his extraordinary return to cricket after surviving a life-threatening car accident in December 2022, also became only the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score centuries in both innings of a match. The first was Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower, who achieved the feat against South Africa in 2001.

KL Rahul, playing with trademark elegance, reached his ninth Test century off 202 balls, striking 13 boundaries. His composed knock complemented Pant’s aggressive strokeplay, which included two sixes off Bashir in quick succession.

Despite a valiant effort in the field, including a near-miraculous attempt by England captain Ben Stokes to catch Pant on 75, the depleted English bowling attack—missing Mark Wood and Jofra Archer—struggled to contain the Indian pair on a flat pitch with an aging ball.

Pant, who brought up his second century with a quick single, opted for a subdued celebration, in contrast to his first-innings somersault—despite encouragement from Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar watching from the stands.

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India’s strong second-innings showing follows a first-innings collapse, where they were bowled out for 471 despite centuries from Shubman Gill, Pant, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. They had earlier lost seven wickets for just 41 runs after looking poised for a total well beyond 500.

England replied with 465, buoyed by Ollie Pope’s 106 and Harry Brook’s 99, but now face a daunting task in the final innings with a target likely to exceed 300.

Although Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s No. 1 Test bowler, leads India’s attack, England will take heart from their record chase of 378 against India at Edgbaston in 2022 under similar circumstances.

The match is delicately poised, but with India holding a substantial lead and momentum, they will be eager to close out a significant win and take an early advantage in the series.