Rishabh Pant now holds the record for the highest score by an Indian wicket-keeper in away ODIs.
KL Rahul had previously scored 112 against New Zealand in 2020 while keeping wickets.
Pant registered his first one-day international century, remaining unbeaten on 125 in the third of the three ODIs between India and England to break Rahul's record and become the Indian wicket-keeper with the highest score in away ODIs.
Pant, in fact, became only the third Indian wicket-keeper to score a century outside Asia in one-day international cricket after Rahul Dravid did it in 1999 and KL Rahul did it in 2020. Pant had a brilliant partnership with Hardik Pandya and saw India to victory after the team was tottering at 72 for 4 in pursuit of a modest 260-run target.
Pant's flamboyance came to the fore in his innings on 125 off 113 deliveries. He hit 16 boundaries and 2 sixes in his knock and carried the Indian batting with help from Hardik Pandya.
He even impressed former Indian International and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar who is a hard man to please. Manjrekar was floored by Pant's maturity and said that India had found a real gem.
"Pant is always responsible," Manjrekar said. "He may seem irresponsible sometimes when he gets out; when he gets out playing one of those kinds of shots, we've got to look at it as somebody getting out at slips because the game has changed, and that is Rishabh Pant's primary sort of skill. He's got to sound different but when he extends himself, he tries these shots. The winning runs, for example, it's a part of his basic attacking array of shots that he has."
"So, responsibility wise I think this guy is just incredible because of the kind of record he has in test cricket. You can't play those kinds of shots if you are not responsible by nature, wanting to win the game, and in this one day as well, you could see him. He was responsibility personified; he was calmness personified. I got very excited watching Rishabh Pant because there's something about this country that we keep producing these kinds of batters every generation."
