Pant’s landmark hundred, Rahul’s classic ton power India to 298/4

Leeds: India’s unflappable maverick Rishabh Pant became only the second wicketkeeper in the game’s history to score hundreds in both innings of a Test, guiding the visitors to a position of strength in the series-opener against England here on Monday.
Besides Pant’s (118 off 140 balls) landmark century, KL Rahul (120 batting) was rewarded for his indefatigable resistance as he constructed a classic hundred to power India to a dominant 298 for four at tea on the fourth day and stretch their overall lead to 304 runs.
The iconic ‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles played softly in the background as Pant closed in on his eighth Test ton, eventually getting there with a single off 130 balls and join Zimbabwe legend Andy Flower as the only stumpers to achieve this feat.
Having curbed his natural instinct after attempting a flashy shot in the first session, Pant bid his time and switched gears post lunch to reach his second century in the match, following his magnificent 134 in the first innings.
He embarked on an adventure straightaway, but having endured few nervy moments, Pant exhibited a tenacity to stay put at the crease, before cutting loose to dominate the bowlers who seemed to have run out of ideas.
The two added 195 runs for the fourth wicket before Pant found Zak Crawley at long-on off Shoaib Bashir, who was taken to the cleaners by the swashbuckling keeper-batter, who also became the first Indian to register two hundreds in a Test match in England.
At tea break, Rahul was batting on 120 and comeback-man Karun Nair was giving him company on 4.
Earlier, Rahul produced a masterclass in timing and temperament in the company of Pant as India ambled to 153 for three at lunch.
Ahead by 96 runs in the beginning, India were off to a disastrous start as they lost skipper Shubman Gill seven balls into the day’s play, but the English bowlers did not taste further success in the first session, though they kept testing the two batters with their probing line and length.
On a windy and cloudy morning at Headingley, India started off on the wrong foot losing the huge wicket of Gill, who chopped Brydon Carse’s good length delivery on to the stumps.
Coming off an elegant hundred in the first innings, Gill was rooted to the crease as the ball cramped him for room before disturbing the stumps. As he walked back to the dressing room, a dejected Gill stared at the place where the ball landed, wondering if it pitched on one of those cracks.
England were delighted to see the back of the India captain, which paved the way for the arrival of another first-innings centurion, Pant, and he was his usual maverick self while attempting the audacious shots that define his batting.
Pant rode his luck as he charged down the ground to try and whack the fast bowlers, and while he could not connect the way he would have liked to, he got runs off them. Pant got off the mark with a thick outside edge off Chris Woakes that flew over the slip cordon.
The flamboyant keeper attempted the slog sweep, the trademark falling paddle sweep, and was also heard scolding himself in the stump mic after playing a rash shot, which prompted Ben Stokes to seek a review.
The ball was too full and swinging, but it made contact with the bat before thudding into Pant’s pads, and the TV umpire ruled in his favour.
In fact Stokes, too, heard two noises but since the batter in question was Pant, the English captain opted to try his luck with a review.
Rahul looked calm, composed and self-assured at the other end, helping India swell the lead brick by brick, even as Pant seemed to tone down his attacking approach and blocked without any difficulty.
Luck too smiled on Rahul as Harry Brook dropped him at gully after the batter tried to steer a quick Josh Tongue delivery.