"English supporters stood up.."- Sanjay Manjrekar declares Rishabh Pant as the greatest Indian wicket-keeper batter

Rishabh Pant scored his seventh test century in the ongoing Leeds test.

Reputed cricket commentator Sanjay Manjrekar was full of praise for Rishabh Pant after the India wicket-keeper slammed a century in the ongoing first England vs India test at Headingley, Leeds. The left-handed batsman registered 134 runs off 178 deliveries in the first innings of the encounter, with the help of 12 fours and six sixes.

The 27-year-old hit his seventh century in tests and his third in England. Notably, Pant broke a few records with his magnificent ton in the encounter. The left-handed batsman became the Asian wicket-keeper with the most runs in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries, overtaking MS Dhoni.

With his seventh test ton, Pant broke legend Dhoni’s record to become the Indian wicket-keeper batter with the most centuries in tests. Dhoni held the earlier record with six centuries in his entire test career.

India’s greatest ever test wicket-batter keeper – Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Rishabh Pant

Manjrekar, who is one of the commentators for India’s tour of England 2025, heaped rich praise on Pant after his century in the first test. According to Manjrekar, the southpaw is India’s greatest ever wicket-keeper batter in tests.

“By far, India’s greatest ever Test batter-keeper. I was worried when he was in the 90s that he might end up getting his 8th 90 of his career. It is just unbelievable that he has so many 90s! But he’s a breath of fresh air,” he said on JioHotstar.

Manjrekar also noted how England spectators cheered for the Indian vice-captain after his century in the encounter.

“When he got out and raised his bat, there were a lot of English supporters who stood up and applauded that innings.That’s what we love about England — these guys come to watch good cricket. They obviously want their team to win, but when they see excellence from the opposition, you can see true appreciation for it,” the 59-year-old further said.

With his century, the Pant helped India to reach a mammoth 471/10 in the first innings. Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal (101 off 159) and Shubman Gill (147 off 227) also hammered centuries. Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue captured four wickets each for England. The hosts won the toss and opted to bowl first in the match.

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