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Better than MS Dhoni? Ex-India player hails Rishabh Pant as India's greatest ever wicket-keeper batter originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Former India selector Devang Gandhi has called Rishabh Pant the greatest wicket-keeper batter India has ever produced
- Pant is set to play his 50th Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur on Saturday
- Gandhi's claim directly invites comparison with MS Dhoni, widely regarded as India's greatest ever wicket-keeper
Better than MS Dhoni? Ex-India player hails Rishabh Pant as India's greatest ever wicket-keeper batter
With Team India's one-off Test against Afghanistan fast approaching, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is about to play the 50th Test of his career.
The match is set for June 7 in Mullanpur, and the 28-year-old is looking better than ever. One former Indian selector even had a bold claim to make for the LSG captain.
Devang Gandhi, who was on the selection committee when Pant first debuted for India against England at Trent Bridge, made some bold claims.
Speaking to IANS earlier this week, he claimed that if seen as a pure wicketkeeper, Pant is a much better player than former Indian captain MS Dhoni.
Gandhi has seen Pant through his entire international career and is confident in his claim. "In whatever cricket I have seen, whatever Indian history as far as wicket-keeping is concerned—I think Rishabh Pant is probably the best wicket-keeper batter India has ever seen so far," he said.
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Rishabh Pant's record in Test cricket
In 49 Tests, Pant has accumulated 3,476 runs at an average of 42.91 and a strike rate of 74.24, including eight centuries and 18 fifties. Since making his debut in 2018, no Indian batter has scored more Test runs than Pant, a remarkable statistic that underlines Gandhi's case.
In that time, he has already recorded 176 dismissals, including 160 catches and 16 stumpings, making him the third most successful Indian WK by numbers. Only Dhoni (294) and Syed Kirmani (198) are ahead of him. However, while the milestone of a 50th test is in front of Pant, his domestic season hasn't been one to be remembered.
He had a forgettable IPL 2026 with Lucknow Super Giants, managing just 312 runs at a strike rate of 138.05, while also losing the Test vice-captaincy to KL Rahul in a widely discussed selection decision.
"It's very heartening to see the way he has evolved as a Test cricketer, the impact he has made on world cricket, and playing 50 Test matches—it's a significant milestone," Gandhi mentioned.
Gandhi pointed to Pant's unbeaten 89 at the Gabba in 2021 as the defining knock of his career, a match-winning chase that ended India's 32-year wait for a series win on Australian soil. For Gandhi, that innings captures exactly what makes Pant the finest wicket-keeper batter India has produced.
| Games | Innings | Runs | Strike Rate | High Score | 100s/50s |
| 49 | 86 | 3,476 | 42.91 | 159* | 8/18 |
Rishabh Pant's Test Record
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The Cricket News Opinion: Comparison to MS Dhoni is an achievement in itself
While Gandhi's claims might appear bold to some, the fact that just eight years into his career, Pant is already being compared to Dhoni is an achievement in itself. With multiple historic wins under his belt, Dhoni is considered one of the finest wicketkeeper-batsmen India has ever produced.
With 4,876 runs across 90 matches alongside 294 dismissals, Dhoni was a unique blend of explosive hitting, quick reflexes, and an ever-present voice behind the stumps. Fans were in doubt when a young Pant walked in to replace then-wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.
However, since then, Pant has made a name for himself as one of the premier batsmen in world cricket while remaining sensational behind the stumps.
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