ENG vs IND: History Beckons Pant in Manchester; Has the Chance to Break THIS Sehwag Record

India and England are all set to face off in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. The hosts lead 2-1 and the visitors must win to take the series into the decider at The Oval in London that begins in a little over a week. If England win here, the series is gone for India with a game in hand. If it stays 2-1 then India must win the last game to draw the series.

Pant Eagerly Waiting

One man who is eagerly waiting for the action to start is India’s keeper-batter Rishabh Pant. He has recovered from his injury and will be donning the gloves in this game. But it is with the bat that he is on the brink of setting a new record for India in Tests. To do so, he must break the record by none other than Virender Sehwag.

© X/ICC

Indian Record

Pant needs to hit four sixes to top the list for India for most sixes hit in Tests. Currently he is tied for second spot with 88. Rohit Sharma has also hit 88 but he has retired from the format. The top spot belongs to Sehwag who has 91. Overall, Pant is in ninth position with Ben Stokes ruling the roost with 133 sixes. Going past Sehwag would take Pant to seventh place.

As of now, Pant has the most among active Test players after Stokes. Stokes is 34 while Pant turns 28 this year. So in the long run, Pant might finish as Test cricket’s top six-hitter. He will certainly be the first Indian to hit 100 sixes and that will take him to the top three. Brendon McCullum (107) and Adam Gilchrist (100) currently complete the 100-club.

© X/ICC

Another Indian Record

Another record that Pant is closing in on is for most runs by an Indian keeper in a Test series. He has 425 runs in this series so far and another 101 shall take him past Budhi Kunderan’s tally of 525 vs England in 1964 at home. If he achieves both these records in the Manchester Test it will be something truly special.

Test Series’ Fate

In the first Test at Headingley, Pant became the first Indian keeper and second keeper in the world to score twin centuries. He also hit a couple of 50s in the next two games. In other words, he has been consistent with the bat. India will want that to continue in the next two matches as well if they are to overturn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 series victory. Can it be done? Yes! Will it happen? That remains to be seen!