Rishabh Pant in the first innings of the rescheduled Test vs England at Edgbaston, Birmingham scored 100 runs off 89 balls. The wicketkeeper-batter along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja stitched a century-plus partnership to take India to 243/5 after they were 98/5 inside 30 overs. 

Pant pulled Stuart Broad’s short ball to fine leg to bring his century – the fastest by an Indian wicketkeeper. The Delhi-based batter took his helmet off and waved his bat to celebrate. 

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During his attacking knock, a 24-year-old Pant also became the youngest wicket-keeper in the history of Test cricket to complete 2000 runs. The feat is huger than it seems as the Delhi Capitals skipper, who led India in the T20I series against South Africa, has played only eight matches on home soil – in familiar conditions. 

With the century, Pant becomes only the third Indian batter in history of Test cricket to score a century at Edgbaston. His ton his the third-fasted by Indians outside Asia. 

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STAT: Fastest Test 100s for India outside Asia

78 balls V Sehwag v WI Gros Islet 2006

88 balls M Azharuddin v Eng Lord’s 1990

89 balls R PANT v Eng Edgbaston 2022

He is the only Indian glovesman to hit two centuries in a calendar year on foreign soil. 

Two Test 100s in a calendar year by an Indian WK

Budhi Kunderan in 1964

MS Dhoni in 2009

W Saha in 2017

Rishabh Pant in 2022 *

The Indian keeper reached the 2000-run mark in Tests at at an average of 42+ and strike rate of more than 71. 

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He and Jadeja, who got to his fifty soon after Pant made 100, joined hands when India had lost the key wickets of Virat Koli, Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer. During the knock, the 24-year-old took on Jack Leach and smashed the spinner for two consecutive boundaries before coming down the track to hit him for a huge six down the ground. He reached his half-century of 51 balls on the stroke of Tea.