After Rishabh Pant became the first designated Indian wicketkeeper-batter to score centuries in both innings of a Test match on Monday, Sanjay Manjrekar lavished high praise on the vice-captain. Manjrekar feels that by the end of the five-match series, Pant could surpass former captain and coach Rahul Dravid in the list of most Test hundreds by Indians on English soil. Pant, who scored an impressive 134 in the first innings, continued his stellar form with his eighth Test century, scoring 118 off 140 in the second innings on Day 4 of the first Test against England at Headingley. Pant became the seventh Indian to score centuries in both innings of a Test match, joining an elite group that includes Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar (three times), Rahul Dravid (twice), Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma. Additionally, he joins the ranks of Don Bradman, Hansie Cronje, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kumar Sangakkara, and Daryl Mitchell for visiting batters with five consecutive 50-plus scores in England. This list is led by Australian star Steven Smith with seven such scores. Manjrekar highlighted Pant’s achievements, pointing out that when considering his batting exploits in England, scoring twin centuries, he is being compared with legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar among others. He added that the remarkable aspect that Pant is also a wicketkeeper, make his accomplishments even more impressive. “When you look at all of Rishabh Pant’s achievements, the first instinct is to think of him purely as a batter – and understandably so. Because when you’re talking about batting exploits in England, scoring twin hundreds, the names he’s being compared with are legends like Dilip Vengsarkar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sunil Gavaskar,” Manjrekar said on JioHotstar. “But here’s the remarkable part – he’s also a wicketkeeper. That’s what makes it almost unbelievable. I know someone like Kumar Sangakkara had a phenomenal batting record, but he wasn’t quite the keeper that Rishabh Pant is,” he added. With Pant’s two centuries at Headingley, his tally of Test hundreds in England reached four, just two short of Dravid’s record. Manjrekar believes that with four Tests remaining in the series, Pant could match or surpass Dravid to become the Indian batter with the most Test hundreds in England. Pant’s performance, alongside KL Rahul’s impressive batting in the first innings where he scored his ninth Test century, helped India to a strong position with one day remaining in Leeds. The duo added 195 runs for the fourth wicket, marking India’s highest-ever partnership for the fourth wicket during their second innings of a Test match in England. Eventually, India were dismissed for 364 in their second innings, setting a target of 371 for England. “Pant is India’s first and last choice as a wicketkeeper in this Test side – and that says a lot. Now, if you look at the numbers – most hundreds by Indians in Tests in England – Rahul Dravid leads with six. And suddenly, you have Pant’s name in that same elite bracket. And there’s a nice little twist – there are two Rahul’s in this story. “You’ve got KL Rahul, and you’ve got Rishabh Pant. Who knows, by the time this series is done, Pant could match or even surpass Rahul Dravid. There are still four Tests to go in this series – that’s potentially eight innings for Pant. And he’s already started in near-perfect fashion,” he added. Addressing Rahul’s contribution, Manjrekar noted that while consistency is a key measure of greatness, Rahul’s batting technique is nearly flawless across various conditions, including Australia, South Africa, England, and New Zealand. “The only critique of KL Rahul is consistency – a key yardstick for greatness. But purely on batting mechanism, he’s nearly flawless. Whether in Australia, South Africa, England, or New Zealand, his technique has no visible weakness,” he said. With IANS Inputs “That’s why he’s the ‘Senapati’ (general) of Indian cricket in SENA countries – with five Test hundreds, second only to Sunil Gavaskar among Asian openers. A remarkable feat, though he’d be the first to admit he wants more runs, more often,” he added.