Rishabh Pant Hits Unbeaten Fifty on Day 1 of Headingley Test. The Indian cricket team kicked off their England tour for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 with the opening Test at Headingley on Friday, June 20. Newly appointed Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant made a strong impact on the first day by scoring an impressive unbeaten half-century.
After England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to field first, India’s opener Yashasvi Jaiswal laid a solid foundation with a brilliant knock of 101 runs off 159 balls. He was later joined by Shubman Gill, who continued the momentum with his sixth Test century. Gill remained not out at the close of play with 127 runs to his name.
Gill also made history by becoming the fifth Indian batter to score a century on his Test captaincy debut. Coming in at number five, Rishabh Pant provided valuable support to Gill. The left-hander struck four boundaries and two sixes on his way to a confident 65 not out off 102 balls, helping India finish the day in a dominant position.
Rishabh Pant Surpasses MS Dhoni’s Record in SENA Countries
Rishabh Pant has overtaken MS Dhoni to become the highest run-scorer among Asian wicketkeeper-batters in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries. During the recent match, Pant achieved this feat by reaching a total of 1746* runs in just 27 Test matches played across these four nations. His tally includes four centuries and six half-centuries.
Previously, MS Dhoni held the record with 1731 runs from 32 Tests in SENA countries. While Dhoni did not score any centuries in these conditions, he registered 13 half-centuries, with his highest score being 92.
Other notable names on the list include former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer with 1099 runs, Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan with 850, and Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal with 831 runs in SENA nations.
| Rank | Player | Country | Matches | Runs | 100s | 50s | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rishabh Pant | India | 27 | 1746* | 4 | 6 | 159 |
| 2 | MS Dhoni | India | 32 | 1731 | 0 | 13 | 92 |
| 3 | Farokh Engineer | India | – | 1099 | – | – | – |
| 4 | Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan | – | 850 | – | – | – |
| 5 | Dinesh Chandimal | Sri Lanka | – | 835 | – | – | – |
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill and his teammates completely dominated Day 1 of the first Test between England and India at Headingley. By the end of the day’s play, the visitors had posted a commanding total of 359 for 3 in 85 overs.
England’s bowlers struggled to make breakthroughs and failed to take wickets consistently throughout the day.
Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir all went wicketless. Ben Stokes managed to take two wickets, while Brydon Carse claimed one.
