Sydney Test, day two: Rishabh Pant goes past MS Dhoni during his swashbuckling 159* and other stats

In a case study of contrasting batsmanship, Rishabh Pant followed up Cheteshwar Pujara’s marathon 193 with a flamboyant century of his own, putting a listless Australia bowling attack to the sword on day two of the fourth and final Test in Sydney on Friday.

While the methodical Pujara made a masterful 193 off 373 balls while Pant stroked his highest Test score in an entertaining 159 not out. Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with a lively 81 in a 204-run stand with Pant – a record seventh wicket partnership at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Skipper Virat Kohli finally declared when Jadeja got out, with the tireless Nathan Lyon taking 4-178 off 57.2 gruelling overs.

The day belonged, first to Pujara and then to Pant, as the 21-year-old Indian wicket-keeper broke a host of records on the way to his second Test century, as he did his reputation as a swashbuckling keeper-batsman no harm.

Also read: The milestones crossed by Pujara on his way to an epic to 193 at the SCG here.

By the time Pujara was dismissed, the life was already drained out of Australia’s bowling attack and Pant, along with Jadeja, added to the hosts’ misery.

Here are the statistical highlights of Pant’s innings and his partnership with Jadeja:

• Pant’s 159* is the third highest all time score by an Indian wicket-keeper in Tests behind MS Dhoni (224) and Buddhi Kunderan (192) and the highest away from home. Dhoni and Kunderan’s efforts came in Chennai.
• Pant became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test ton in England earlier in the season and now he is the first to do so in Australia as well.
• Pant is the first Indian and only the second visiting wicket-keeper to score Test centuries in both Australia and England after Jeff Dujon, the West Indies great.
• Pant equalled Moin Khan and Mushfiqur Rahim for most tons by Asian keeper outside subcontinent. He also equalled the highest score among the three.
  

• Incredibly, Rishabh Pant — in his first series Down Under — has already gone past MS Dhoni’s all-time tally in Australia. He’s now second on the list behind only Syed Kirmani.

• Pant was only 10 short of the highest score by a visiting wicket-keeper batsman in Australia, a record held by AB de Villiers.

• Indeed, this was the highest score by an Indian wicket-keeper in Australia.

• The Rishabh Pant-Ravindra Jadeja partnership (204 runs for the 7th wicket) set a host of records as well. It is the highest partnership for the seventh wicket in all Tests played in Australia.