Former Indian wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik has urged fans to stay calm and not jump to conclusions after Rishabh Pant equalled MS Dhoni's Test centuries record in the first match of the two-game Test between India and Bangladesh.
On Saturday, Pant scored a scintillating 109 off just 128 balls to equal Dhoni's six Test centuries to become the keeper with joint-most Test hundreds for India.
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Is Rishabh Pant India's greatest Test wicketkeeper? Dinesh Karthik weighs in
Pant's century against the Bangla Tigers prompted fans on social to draw comparisons between him and his predecessor and former India captain MS Dhoni.
However, Karthik insisted on waiting before drawing any conclusions as Pant is relatively new to international cricket and still has a long way to go before surpassing Dhoni's legacy.
“It’s very unacceptable to say that he’s played 34 Tests and he’s already India’s greatest wicketkeeper batter. Let’s take time, let’s not jump to conclusions but definitely, he’s on course for sure and he will finish as India’s greatest ever wicketkeeper," Karthik told Cricbuzz.
He added, “Don’t discount Dhoni’s credentials as a wicketkeeper as well. He not only kept brilliantly, batted and scored runs when it mattered very very well for India but also he led India to a World Test Championship mace which is becoming number 1. So you got to give all that weightage as well when you speak about a player all round."
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MS Dhoni vs Rishabh Pant in Test cricket
| Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 50/100 | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | 90 | 144 | 4876 | 38.09 | 33/10 | 224 |
| Rishabh Pant | 34 | 58 | 2419 | 44.79 | 11/6 | 159* |