Watch: Rishabh Pant sends bat flying but survives as Jamie Smith botches easy stumping in 1st Test
Published - 21 Jun 2025, 06:10 PM | Updated - 21 Jun 2025, 06:11 PM
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In a dramatic moment, Rishabh Pant had a big escape that left everyone stunned on Day 2 of the ongoing first Test between India and England at Headingley. The incident unfolded after Rishabh Pant and Jamie Smith sledged each other in the first session of Day 2.
Facing Shoaib Bashir, the Indian vice-captain charged down the pitch looking to hit big but completely missed the spinning delivery. Pant swung so hard that he lost his grip on the bat, and it flew all the way towards the short fine leg.
Watch: Rishabh Pant survives shocking stumping miss after bat flies out of his hand
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At the same time, the left-handed batter was far out of his crease and completely exposed for a stumping. But the England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith failed to collect the ball cleanly.
Read Also: Watch: Ben Duckett’s dangerous throw knocks out Harry Brook in India vs England 1st Test
The delivery had bounced a bit and came up around Smith’s chest, and in the rush to bring his gloves down quickly for the stumping, the wicketkeeper didn’t gather the ball at all.
England missed the golden opportunity to remove the centurion and aggressive Indian wicketkeeper-batter. Pant, who was nowhere near the crease and without his bat, got a lucky escape. Smith’s blunder allowed the Indian vice-captain to continue his incredible innings.
Rishabh Pant overtakes MS Dhoni for most sixes by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests
Before the costly fumble, Pant smashed Shoaib Bashir for a stunning six. With this maximum, Rishabh Pant now has 79 sixes in Test cricket to his name, surpassing MS Dhoni’s record of 78. However, Pant hit 79 sixes in just 76 innings, while Dhoni took 144 innings.
Now, Pant has the most number sixes in Test cricket as an Indian wicketkeeper-batter. He is now the third Indian with the most sixes in Test cricket. Only Virender Sehwag (90) and Rohit Sharma (88) have hit more sixes in Tests than the current Indian vice-captain.
Josh Tongue ends Rishabh Pant’s masterclass with a stunning inswinger
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant’s brilliant innings came to a surprising end with a moment of misjudgment. Josh Tongue was troubling the Indian star with sharp inswingers from around the wicket, and eventually, he misread a delivery that came back in late and sharply.
Read Also: 'Rishabh Pant exposing MS Dhoni’s status in Tests': Twitter reacts as India star hits 7th Test ton
Expecting the ball to go away, Pant avoided playing a shot, but the ball wasn’t too wide or short, as it pitched on a good length, swung back in, and struck him on the pad around the kneeroll. The ball crashed into the middle and leg stumps.
However, Pant reviewed the decision, but the ball-tracking confirmed that Josh Tongue had his wicket. The wicketkeeper-batter was out leg-before-wicket for 134 runs off 178 balls, with 12 boundaries and 6 sixes. Later, Pant received a standing ovation for his outstanding knock in Leeds.
Earlier, Karun Nair, the comeback man, failed to live up to the expectations as he was dismissed for a four-ball duck, while Shardul Thakur could only open his account. Before the lunch break, India lost four wickets as their current score reads 454/7 against England in Headingley.
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