'What has Rishabh Pant done': Adil Rashid argues India wicketkeeper's spot in 'World Test XI'

Rishabh Pant scored centuries each in both innings of the Headingley Test (BCCI Photo)

The inclusion of India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant in Wisden's World Test XI was questioned by England spinner Adil Rashid. During the opening Test between India and England at Headingley in Leeds, Pant made history by becoming the second wicketkeeper-batter ever to score hundreds in each innings. Rashid questioned if Pant truly deserved the spot, though, considering he was out for a considerable amount of time due to injuries sustained in his car accident.

Appearing on the ‘Beard Before Wicket’ podcast along with Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid said: "Pant made a hundred just now. One in the IPL. But if you take the two hundreds out, what has he done before that? He's just come back from injury, so I don't know what he's done before that."

In the first innings of the ongoing Test at Edgbaston, Pant made 25 before getting out against Shoaib Bashir.

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Stats from the start of the 2023–25 World Test Championship and performance context were taken into account when choosing the Wisden's current World Test XI. While naming Pant as the keeper-batter, Wisden wrote: “Already India's greatest wicketkeeper batter in Tests, Pant has his sights on the all-time great title. While other Test wicketkeepers around the world have had success with the bat in recent years, Pant's game-changing ability has been second to none, as his twin Headingley hundreds proved last month.”

With his century in the first innings, the left-handed batsman-wicketkeeper broke the record held by legendary skipper MS Dhoni for the most Test hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper. Dhoni amassed six hundreds in 144 Test innings, but Pant outscored him with seven tons in 76.

With a century in the second innings, Pant became just one of a handful players to score four Test hundreds in England, along with Dilip Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar. Even Virat Kohli does not have that many.