New Delhi : Former India opener Aakash Chopra has said Rishabh Pant will surpass MS Dhoni’s tally of runs in Tests if he plays more matches for India. Pant, India’s vice-captain in Tests, is currently recovering from a right foot fracture sustained while batting in the fourth game against England at Manchester.
Pant has featured in 47 Tests so far, scoring 3427 runs at an average of 44.50. His tally includes eight centuries, two more than Dhoni’s six hundreds, even though the latter played 90 Tests. Chopra has wondered if its safe to say that Pant is the greatest wicketkeeper-batter to play Tests for India.
“MS Dhoni is at the top in terms of the number of matches played and runs scored. He has played 90 games, 144 innings, scored 4876 runs at an average of 38.09, and has six centuries to his name. Rishabh Pant has struck six centuries in the last five years.”
“If we look at it overall, Rishabh Pant has already scored eight centuries and MS Dhoni had six centuries. Rishabh Pant is already in the second spot (in terms of number of runs). He is 1400 runs behind MS Dhoni and has played nearly half the games. If he plays more, he will obviously go ahead of MS Dhoni,” said Chopra in a video posted on his YouTube channel on Sunday.
In seven innings on the recent Test tour of England, Pant amassed 479 runs at a stunning average of 68.42, including hitting two centuries in the series opener at Headingley, Leeds. “If we see the most runs by a wicketkeeper in England, he is the only guy who has scored 1000 runs in England. He has struck four centuries and five half-centuries. He has scored more than 1000 runs in 13 matches and 24 innings. They might start building his statues in England.”
“If we see the list of all Test wicketkeepers in the world to date, Adam Gilchrist has scored 5570 runs at an average of 47.60 in 96 matches. He is the one who is fairly ahead of him. However, Gilchrist might also be caught because Pant is nearly 2250 runs behind. Without a shadow of doubt, India’s No. 1 wicketkeeper-batter ever and in world cricket, he will finish as one of the finest and probably the best,” added Chopra.
