Rishabh Pant’s latest audacious century for India lights up Headingley test

LEEDS, England (AP) — Rishabh Pant doesn’t always embrace the easy hit.

One of cricket’s mavericks, the India wicketkeeper loves the difficult, high-risk shot. Even in the most nerve-shredding moments, Pant considers options other than the conservative choice.

For eight years, his swashbuckling play and attitude has been engaging or enraging India fans.

Either way, he is unmissable.

Another one of those moments arrived on Saturday against England during the test series opener at Headingley.

For the 14th time in his test career, Pant batted into the 90s.

Seven times previously he’d fallen in the 90s, making him one of the worst batters on percentage to convert 90s into hundreds in test history.

Pant was mainly restrained on Friday to help India consolidate but he began Saturday on 65 and entertained. He made runs from ugly hacks and mistimed and unorthodox shots thanks to sublime wristwork and footwork.

He charged into the 90s with a falling-over ramp shot over fine leg to the boundary followed by a pulled six.

Sachin Tendulkar admired Pant’s unconventional style, writing on X: “Rishabh’s falling paddle sweep is not accidental. It is intentional and extremely clever. Going down with the shot allows him to get under the ball and scoop it over leg slip with control.”

Pant inched to 99 and the common sense play to the hundred was a single, but he hoicked a six over cow corner.

As the Headingley crowd applauded, he celebrated his seventh hundred and third against England also in typical style, with a somersault in his pads, sans helmet.

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak defended Pant.

“Rishabh Pant makes his own plans. He decides and he bats,” Kotak said. “This innings was different. Because he plays aggressive doesn’t mean he can’t play defense.”

Pant featured in a 209-run partnership with captain Shubman Gill and was finally out for 134. The four-hour, 178-ball knock included six sixes and a dozen boundaries.

For all the knocks on Pant’s audacity — India great Sunil Gavaskar berated his soft dismissal from a failed scoop shot in December as “stupid, stupid, stupid” on a radio broadcast — his way has been effective.

Pant has the most test hundreds for an India keeper, leaving behind Mahendra Singh Dhoni on six. He’s the only visiting wicketkeeper in England to score more than one test century.

He hit a six to complete a test hundred for a third time, all against England. For India, only Rohit Sharma (3) and Sachin Tendulkar (6) have raised centuries with a six as many times as Pant.

Gavaskar and Pant turned the “stupid, stupid, stupid” comment into a commercial. And on Saturday, when Pant got his century, Gavaskar acclaimed it on air by saying, “Superb, superb, superb.”

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket