Rishabh Pant emulates Adam Gilchrist with his third Test hundred

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant achieved a unique feat when he slammed 101 against England on Day 2 of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad.

Pant's century on Friday was his third in Test cricket and first at home. With the knock, the 23-year-old joined the legendary Adam Gilchrist as the only wicketkeeper batsmen to score Test hundreds in England, Australia and India.

Before his hundred in Ahmedabad, Rishabh Pant had hammered 114 at The Oval in September 2018 and 159 not out in Sydney in January 2019.

Playing his 20th Test, the left-hander has scored 1358 runs at an average of 45.26, with three hundreds and six fifties. Rishabh Pant's runs in the longer format of the game have come at an impressive strike rate of 71.47.

Meanwhile, Adam Gilchrist scored seven Test hundreds in Australia - two each against England, New Zealand and Pakistan, and one against Zimbabwe.

Adam Gilchrist

His best at home was the famous 149 not out against Pakistan in Hobart in 1999. Gilchrist played 55 Tests in Australia, averaging an impressive 45.87.

In England, the former player played ten Tests, managing to score one hundred while scoring 521 runs at an average of 40.07. His sole hundred in Tests in England was the 152 off 143 balls he slammed in Birmingham in 2001.

Meanwhile, in India, Gilchrist featured in seven Tests and scored two hundreds. He scored 342 runs in India at a rather poor average of 28.5. Both of Gilchrist’s tons in India, though, came in winning causes - 122 in Mumbai (2001) and 104 in Bengaluru (2004).

Only two wicket-keepers have test hundreds in Australia, England and India1. Adam Gilchrist2. Rishabh PantRishabh Pant's 3 Test Hundredsv England 2018 - reached with a SIXv Australia 2019 - reached with a FOURv England 2021 - reached with a SIX pic.twitter.com/y15NCgmR89

— Cricketopia (@Cricketopia_) March 5, 2021

I like to play the situation, see the ball and react: Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant’s 101 on Friday came off only 118 balls and featured 13 fours and two sixes.

When he came to bat, India were in trouble at 80 for 4. The left-hander, however, steadied the Indian innings with two crucial partnerships. He first added 41 with Rohit Sharma (49) for the fifth wicket before adding 113 with Washington Sundar (60 not out).

Asked how he plans his innings in general, Rishabh Pant told host broadcaster Star Sports at the end of the day’s play:

"I like to play the situation, and I just see the ball and react -- that's the USP (unique selling point) of my game. The team's plan was to get to 206, past the England total, and then get as many runs as possible after that."

Rishabh Pant’s answer when asked if his amazing reverse sweep shot was pre-meditated 😂🇮🇳🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/34SSi844bD

— Chloe-Amanda Bailey (@ChloeAmandaB) March 5, 2021

India went to stumps at 294 for 7 with a first-innings lead of 89 runs. Home boy Axar Patel (11 not out) was giving company to Washington Sundar at stumps.