Sachin Tendulkar to Ashwin - Former players lavish praise on Rishabh Pant after incredible century at Headingley in the 1st India vs England Test

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Aishik Das
Sachin Tendulkar to Ashwin - Former players lavish praise on Rishabh Pant after incredible century at Headingley in the 1st India vs England Test image

Rishabh Pant came with the intent to entertain the fans not only in the stadium but all over the world, as the wicket-keeper batsman struck a brilliant century in the first innings of the series opener against England at Headingly.

Pant put his IPL woes to bed, as the southpaw played a dazzling innings with the bat alongside his skipper, Shubman Gill, to help India post a formidable total of 471. 

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The wicketkeeper batsman seemed to be a different player compared to the one he was in the recently concluded Indian Premier League. Pant played his natural game, taking on each and every English bowler by the scruff of his neck, as he registered an incredible seventh ton on English soil.

The century saw him move past one of India's finest legends, MS Dhoni, who previously held the record for the most tons by an Indian wicketkeeper in the longest format with six. The southpaw also surpassed former skipper Rohit Sharma as the player with the most number of sixes in World Test Championship (WTC) matches.

Pant's innings was a testament to his calibre, which has gathered praise from many former Indian players and rightfully so.

READ MORE: Pant's smashing strike leaves Ben Stokes in splits at Headingley

Former players lavish praise on Pant after incredible century at Headingly

Pant's incredible century at Headingly has lavished praise from many former Indian superstars, notably Sachin Tendulkar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Kaif, and Deep Dasgupta. Let's check out their reactions:

While Tendulkar was all praise for Pant's iconic summersault celebration alongside his innings, Ravichandran Ashwin was also in awe of the entertainment provided by the southpaw.

Mohammed Kaif even went on to call Pant the 'King of Red Ball cricket', due to the southpaw's ability to play his natural game in any given condition.

Deep Dasgupta went on to call Pant the 'X factor', as he considers that the southpaw is a proven match-winner in the Test format, regardless of his IPL form.

A fan on social media handle X posted Sunil Gavaskar's words for Pant while commentating, as the Indian legend appreciated the southpaw in a similar style, he used to criticise in the BGT 2024/25 against Australia.