In the first Test of the 5-match series against England, Team India achieved something never seen before — for the first time in Test history, five centuries were scored by Indian batters in a single match. Remarkably, two of those centuries came from wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who lit up the Leeds Test with his explosive batting. He dismantled the English bowling attack with ease. Let’s take a look at the key records from the Leeds Test:
First Time Ever – 5 Centuries by Indian Batters in a Test Match
India registered three centuries in the first innings and two more in the second innings of the Leeds Test. This marked the first time in cricket history that five Indian players scored centuries in the same Test. In the first innings, centuries came from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant. In the second innings, KL Rahul and Pant scored tons.
First Away Test with 5 Centuries Since 1955
This is only the sixth time in Test history that a team has recorded five individual centuries in a match — and just the second time it has happened in an away Test. The previous instance came in 1955, when Australia scored five centuries in a Test in Jamaica. India has now become only the second team to do so in an away Test match.
KL Rahul – Indian Opener with Most Test Centuries in England
KL Rahul struck a brilliant century in the second innings of the Leeds Test. It was his third century in England as an opener, the most by any Indian opener in the country. Vijay Merchant, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, and Rahul Dravid each have two centuries as openers in England.
Rishabh Pant – Only the Second Wicketkeeper to Score Centuries in Both Innings of a Test
Pant scored 134 runs in the first innings and followed it up with 118 in the second innings. With this feat, he became just the second wicketkeeper in the world to score centuries in both innings of a Test. The only other player to achieve this was Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower, who scored 141 and an unbeaten 199 against South Africa in Harare in 2001.
Pant – First Indian to Score Centuries in Both Innings of a Test in England
Rishabh Pant became the first Indian batter to score centuries in both innings of a Test match played in England. He is the ninth batter overall to achieve this feat in England. The last to do it before him was Australia’s Steve Smith in 2019.
Pant – Wicketkeeper with Most Test Centuries in England
Pant now has four Test centuries in England — the most by any wicketkeeper in the country. England’s Alec Stewart and Matt Prior also have four each, but Pant becomes the only non-English wicketkeeper on that list.
Pant Equals Tendulkar’s Test Century Tally in England
With his twin centuries in the Leeds Test, Pant now has four Test centuries in England. Among Indian batters, only Rahul Dravid has more, with six. Pant is now tied with Sachin Tendulkar and Dilip Vengsarkar, who also scored four Test centuries each in England. However, Pant reached this mark in just 19 innings, while Tendulkar and Vengsarkar needed 30 and 23 innings, respectively.
Pant – Third Highest Century-Scoring Wicketkeeper in Test History
Rishabh Pant has now scored 8 Test centuries, placing him third among wicketkeepers with the most Test hundreds. Only Adam Gilchrist (17) and Andy Flower (12) are ahead of him. England’s Les Ames also scored 8 Test hundreds.
Rishabh Pant’s historic performance and India’s dominance in the Leeds Test will be remembered for years as one of the greatest collective batting displays in Test cricket.