Rishabh Pant ranks 4th in Test centuries, 2nd in sixes, and 3rd in batting average among wicketkeeper-batters in Test history. Is he on the verge of greatest?
Rishabh Pant, the newly appointed India’s Test vice-captain, has been an enigma when it comes to the red-ball format. Pant’s ascension to this position is thanks to his superlative batting performances in the most challenging format of the sport.
Pant is a wicketkeeper whose primary job is to keep wickets. Behind the stumps, he does a fairly decent job, but his real impact has been in front of the sticks.
In his 44-match Test career, he has already amassed 3200 runs at an average of 44.44, a stat that would make a top-order batter proud.
One of the best moments in his career came in the recent Test match at Leeds against England, where Pant became just second wicketkeeper-batter to score a twin ton in a Test match. The only other player to accomplish this is Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower.
These numbers and his other accomplishments bring in a debate on whether Pant is possibly the greatest wicketkeeper-batter of all time.
Let’s delve into some statistical data to conclude:
Top 5 wicket-keeper batters in terms of runs scored in Tests
The above table may show the highest run-getters among wicketkeepers in Tests, but what it doesn’t tell is how fast Rishabh Pant is catching up to these legendary names.
- The India keeper-batter’s tally of 3200 runs already makes him the 15th most prolific run-scorer in the history of the format.Â
- Only 18 wicketkeeper-batters have breached the 3000-run mark in Tests
- He has done so in just 77 innings, accumulating eight centuries and crossing the 50+ mark in an inning 15 other times.
- Pant has already surpassed the tally of legendary players like Kumar Sangakkara (3117) and Brendon McCullum (2803) in his relatively short careerÂ
Read More: ENG vs IND, 2025, 1st Test, Day 4: Pant, Rahul tons help India set target of 371; England 21-0
Most runs by keepers away from home in Tests
Sarfaraz Ahmed runs’ include neutral venue of UAE where Pakistan played their home Tests
- Pant already has scored 2139 Test runs away from home, the seventh highest in the history of the formatÂ
- His century tally (6) is the joint second best, along with Andy Flower, and only behind Adam Gilchrist’s 10
Most Test centuries by a wicket-keeper batter
- Only 19 wicket-keeper batters have scored five or more centuries while playing as a designated keeper for their team
- Out of them, only Pant is the active cricketer to don the gloves, and the next best is New Zealand’s Tom Blundell, who has four Test centuries
Read More: IND vs ENG, 2025: With a thin batting order, why India need Rishabh Pant to punch above his weight
Best batting averages of wicketkeeper-batters with min. 2500 runs
The consistency of Rishabh Pant is reflected in the above-mentioned table. Among the 26 wicket-keeper batters to have scored 2500 or more Test runs, Pant’s average is the third-best currentlyÂ
Best batting strike rate of wicketkeeper-batters with min. 2500 runs
Most sixes hit by a wicketkeeper in Tests
The bewitching brilliance of #RishabhPant was on show. Few players in the modern game have you sitting on the edge of your seat. Pant always does. He enriches our game
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 23, 2025
Rishabh Pant’s match-changing capability can be seen by reading the above two statistical data points:
- The left-hander already has the second-most number of sixes by a wicket-keeper in Test history. Only Gilchrist has more, and the next active player in the line is England’s Jamie Smith (16 in 11 Tests)
- He has the second-best strike rate (74.03) for glove men with a minimum of 2500 Test runsÂ
These numbers reflect the fear value that Pant brings to the opposition. He has the inherent ability to change the game on its head in a matter of overs in Test cricket and can dominate the bowlers with his batting technique.
Pant seldom bats according to the situation, and if the ball is there to be hit, he hits. That has been the hallmark of the left-hander’s game in his brief yet impactful 44-Test career.
Coming to the question, is Pant the greatest wicketkeeper-batter of all time in Test cricket is He is on his way to achieve greatness. The left-hander can potentially top all these charts in the coming years and create a new record.
Read More: Making Rishabh Pant Test captain would have been wiser investment for the future
