Rishabh Pant's century is indication that India has a wicketkeeper to groom

Rishabh Pant's century in the fifth and final Test, after India lost all their top batsmen, has certainly given hope that he could be the wicket-keeper batsman they have been looking for ever since MS Dhoni retired from Tests.

When Pant made his debut in the third Test against England, India had lost the first two and the fate of the five-match series was more or less apparent. The 20-year-old showed guts in the beginning of his career scoring his first runs a massive six on the biggest stage.

Was it a fluke? The reply came in the last innings of the series where Pant reached his maiden Test century with yet another clean lift over the boundary. His daredevilry clearly established him as a player, who has it in him to deliver under challenging conditions.

Team India has been desperately looking for someone to fill in the void left by Dhoni since 2015. There were many in the list from Wriddhiman Saha to Dinesh Karthik to Parthiv Patel but there were none to replicate the explosive batting or finishing ability like Dhoni.

With his impressive century on Tuesday, the Delhi lad has more or less given the team more than a semblance of hope.

There is no doubt that Pant's batting style is similar to that of Gilchrist. The only point of discussion now is whether he can keep the wickets like Gilchrist?

Talking to DNA, former India stumper Nayan Mongia said, "It's just a beginning for Pant. Rather, it's like a honeymoon period of his Test career. Even then he needs to improve upon his wicket-keeping aspects.

"He either stands or dives but doesn't move his feet. He missed couple of straight balls during the three Tests that he played in England. His hands are stiff. But all that improvement will come with experience,"

Does it mean that he is not the long term answer or an apt replacement for Dhoni?

"Depends, whether our selectors or team management need a batsman, who can keep wickets or a wicket-keeper who can bat also?" said Mongia, adding: "Rishabh is natural for T20 and ODIs. But in Tests now after his heroics at the Oval, opponents will try and sort him out by watching his replays. Wait and see how he improves with every appearance. The more he keeps, more he will learn. Give him some time and then make a judgement."

Will Pant be the first choice?

There is no doubt that Pant wasn't not among the top three choices for the wicket-keeping role at the start of the year. After Saha, there were Parthiv and Karthik, who were keen to be given a full opportunity by the selection panel.

Pant was included ahead of Patel in the absence of regular choice Saha. More than his ability to hit the ball hard, it was Pant's age that helped him leapfrog the 30-plus contenders. Luckily for him, his senior contender Karthik failed to make a difference in the first two Tests and the team management were left with no option but to field him in eleven.

In his debut Test, Pant was fortunate with both bat and gloves. He batted with freedom in the first innings on his way to a useful 24 and claimed five scalps behind the stumps when England batted. But more than his contribution, it was his youth and positive body language that caught the eye of critics.

Former wicketkeeper-batsman Surender Khanna said,"Rishabh looked confused in the fourth Test and that showed in his batting also. His 29-ball duck in the first innings was a clear indication of that."

Behind, the stumps!

Pant, somehow, salvaged his position with his first Test century at The Oval, but he otherwise had a terrible time behind the stumps conceding as many as 40 byes in two innings.

Most of these were wayward deliveries that swung further after leaving the bat, but Pant appeared to be unable to react quickly in order to reach that far. He then only had one last chance for redemption and he delivered.

On Day 5, when Team India were chasing an improbable target, Pant walked in only to play second fiddle to a settled opener KL Rahul. He did it beautifully, but only till the time Rahul crossed hundred mark.

Pant then returned to his natural style, opened up his shoulders, and hit Moeen Ali for first big slog. The purists may scoff at the way Pant hits ball, taking one hand off the bat or feet off the ground while hitting, but his sheer timing and ability to hit hard is enough to convince them about his future.

On The Oval pitch, where the bounce was uneven and batsmen were finding it hard to face spinners, Pant decided that attack was his best weapon to nullify it.

He showed his ability to improvise and maturity as he kept dancing down the track against Adil Rashid and Ali at the slightest invitation. He also did not hesitate in going back and cutting and pulling them at any given opportunity.

Khanna concluded, "The way Pant approached the final Test's last innings has given a good indication of his ability to rise from the ashes. Had he flopped in the last Test, it would have been a case of an opportunity lost. But it did not turn out to be so."

KNOW PANT

Name: Rishabh Rajendra Pant
Born: 04/10/1997
Age: 20 years 344 days
Bats: Left Handed
Tests: 3 (2018-)

Batting

Innings: 6
Not Outs: 0

Aggregate: 162
Highest Score: 114

Average: 27.00

50s: 0
100s: 1
4s: 20
6s: 6

Scoring Rate 64.29

WICKET KEEPING

Catches: 15
Stumpings: 0

Most catches in innings: 5
Most catches in match: 7

Most dismissals in innings: 5
Most dismissals in match: 7

DID YOU KNOW?

• Pant's century on Tuesday was the first by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test match in England. The previous best by an Indian keeper in England was MS Dhoni's 92 at the Oval in 2007.
   
• Rishabh Pant is the youngest wicketkeeper to score a Test century in England. He beat West Indian Ivan Barrow's record set in 1933.
   
• Pant became the 4th Indian batsman to reach his maiden test ton with a six. Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan were the others.
   
• Pant now holds the record for highest fourth innings score by an Indian wicketkeper going past MS Dhoni's 76* at Lords in 2007