Only a very few cricketers have achieved the feat of playing 100 Tests for India. Not even the great MS Dhoni or Mohammad Azharuddin could make it there. It tells how much effort it takes for an Indian player to reach 100 Tests. Last year, Virat Kohli joined the ranks of cricketers to have played 100 Tests for India. The list included former superstars like Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh and others.
Another Indian legend who has the experience of playing over a hundred Test matches, Virender Sehwag has identified a player in Team India’s current set-up who can play 100 or more Test matches. He is none other than Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant, 24, made an explosive start to his Test career. In just 4 years, he has got 30 Test matches experience. Sehwag believes that if the youngster from India plays for a long time, he will establish himself as one of the all-time greats of Indian cricket.
Virender Sehwag said on Sports 18 show Home of Heroes, ‘If he plays more than 100 Tests, his name will be etched in the pages of history forever. Only 11 Indian cricketers have achieved this feat. Everyone can remember those 11 names. Why does Virat Kohli insist so much on playing Tests? Virat Kohli knows that if he plays 100-150 or even 200 Tests, he will be immortal in the record books.
Rishabh Pant has scored 1920 runs in 30 Test matches at an average of 40.85 and strike rate of 70.45. This includes his four centuries and nine fifties. Born on October 4, 1997 in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, Rishabh Pant is not even 25 years old yet. If he continues for 10 more years, there is no reason why this Indian wicket-keeper batsman cannot reach the milestone.
Rishabh Pant has played many brilliant innings in his Test career so far. On his first tour of England and Australia, Pant hit a century each. He has proved himself by playing two exceptional innings in two very important Test matches during the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
In Sydney, when India were battling to save the Test, Rishabh Pant smashed 97. His innings turned the tide of the match and brought India to the brink of victory. Although the match ended in a draw, Pant’s innings was praised by all.
Not only this, later, in the final match of the series at the Gabba, Pant played arguably one of the most memorable innings of his life, as his unbeaten 89 notched up one of India’s most famous Test match victories. With this, India also won the series 3-2.