Rishabh Pant’s impressive form in England continued as he reached a half-century in the second innings of the Leeds Test. This achievement marks his fifth consecutive score of 50 or more in England, placing him among a select group of visiting batsmen. His recent scores in England read: 50, 146, 57, 134, and 50 not out, demonstrating remarkable consistency on challenging English pitches. This consistent performance has been crucial in keeping India competitive in away Tests. Pant now joins cricketing legends like Don Bradman, Hansie Cronje, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kumar Sangakkara, and Daryl Mitchell, who have also achieved this feat. Only Steve Smith surpasses Pant with seven consecutive 50+ scores in England. Pant’s performance underscores his status as a top-performing Indian batsman in difficult overseas conditions. In the Headingley Test, Pant reached his half-century in 83 balls, contributing to India’s score exceeding 200. KL Rahul was also nearing his century. At lunch, India had scored 153 runs for the loss of 3 wickets. On the fourth day, India lost Shubman Gill, dismissed for 8 runs. India is aiming to set a target exceeding 350 runs. England’s first innings concluded at 465 runs, with Bumrah taking 5 wickets. India had a lead of 6 runs on the first innings, having scored 471 runs in their initial innings.
