Pant vs Smith: Dissecting their sensational run in Anderson-Tendulkar trophy
What's the story
The fourth Test of the five-match series between India and England will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 23. The match is a must-win for Shubman Gill's team as they are trailing 1-2. Meanwhile, wicket-keepers of both camps, Jamie Smith and Rishabh Pant, have been on a roll in this series. Ahead of the Manchester Test, let's decode their stellar returns in the ongoing series.
Tally
Decoding their run tally
As per ESPNcricinfo, Pant has raced to 425 runs across six innings in the ongoing series at 70.83. The tally includes four 50-plus scores, including twin tons in the opening Test in Leeds. Smith, meanwhile, has managed 415 runs across six innings at 103.75 (50s: 2, 100: 1). England's Alec Stewart (465 vs SA in 1998) is the only other keeper with 400-plus runs in a Test series on England soil. Both Pant and Smith can go past Stewart's tally.
Information
Smith and Pant scripted this record
The historic feat of both wicketkeepers scoring over 400 runs in a single series is a first in Test cricket history. The record was set after the third Test match at Lord's, where Pant scored a half-century in India's first innings despite battling a finger injury.
Pant
Twin centuries in Leeds Test
Pant made 134 in his first outing in Leeds and followed it up with a score of 118. His match aggregate of 252 runs is the highest by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test. As per Cricbuzz, Pant became only the second designated wicket-keeper to smoke twin hundreds in a Test, joining Zimbabwe legend Andy Flower. While Pant overall has four Test tons in England, no other visiting keeper has even multiple Test hundreds in UK.
Smith
Smith scripted history with unbeaten 184
Meanwhile, Smith scripted history by scoring an unbeaten 184 in England's first innings in Edgbaston. He scripted the highest individual score by an England keeper, surpassing Alec Stewart's 173 against New Zealand in 1997. He also broke the record for the highest score by an England batter at No.7 in a Test match. Smith also became the fourth-fastest to complete 150 in a Test innings against India, reaching the mark off 144 balls.
Record
Smith makes this unique record with 272-run aggregate
Smith followed his 184* with a valiant 88 in England's second innings in Edgbaston. As per Cricbuzz, Smith now owns the 3rd-highest match aggregate score by a wicketkeeper in Tests (272). Andy Flower (341 and 287) own the top two places on this list. Pant (252 in Leeds) is the only other keeper with a 250-plus aggregate in a Test on England soil.
Sixes
Pant scripted this sixes record
Pant has smashed 15 sixes in the ongoing series. No other keeper has even smashed 13 sixes in a bilateral Test series. Smith is fourth on this list, having smashed 11 sixes in the ongoing series. Meanwhile, Pant's tally of 15 maximums is the joint-most for a batter in a bilateral Test series in England. He shares the top spot with Ben Stokes.