Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant has created history in the ongoing first Test match between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide as he has been involved in as many as 12 catches in the match, which is the most by any Indian wicket-keeper in the format and the joint-most by any wicket-keeper.
In the first innings, Pant took six catches and in the second, he took five. He could have easily caught one more but dropped a regulation catch to give Nathan Lyon a chance off the bowling of R Ashwin early in his innings.
Pant joined an elite group of four other wicket-keepers, who had taken 11 catches in a Test and the list includes the likes of former England wicket-keepers Jack Russell and Bob Taylor, South Africa’s AB de Villiers and the greatest wicket-keeper to have graced the sport, Adam Gilchrist.
With he caught Mitchell Starc off Mohammed Shami, he overtook Wriddhiman Saha’s record of 10 catches which he took in the first Test against South Africa in Cape Town earlier this year.
For India, Wriddhiman Saha has effected 10 dismissals and is followed by MS Dhoni, who was involved in nine dismissals in the 2014 MCG Test. If only the catches are taken into consideration, Pant leads the way followed by Saha with 10 catches, Nayan Mongia (twice) and MS Dhoni with eight catches each.
When he caught Tim Paine off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah, he broke former England gloveman David Murray’s record of nine catches for the most number of catches taken by a visiting keeper in a Test Down Under.
For someone who was criticized a lot for his wicket-keeping during the tour of England, Pant has come a long way to equal the world record for the most catches in a Test.
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