Rishabh Pant breaks MS Dhoni's record for most runs away/neutral Tests, surpasses Mark Boucher too with 63 vs Sri Lanka

India’s Rishabh Pant scored his Test career's 21st half-century. Coming to bat on Day 2 after getting retired hurt on Day 1, Pant scored 63 runs in the second Test of the series against Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo. Pant’s 63-run knock helped him surpass South Africa’s Mark Boucher and India’s MS Dhoni to take third place in the list of wicketkeeper-batters with most runs in away and neutral Tests.

Pant became first Indian wicketkeeper-batter to complete 2,500 runs in away/neutral Tests. He is also the third wicketkeeper-batter to achieve the feat.

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Dhoni had 2,496 runs from 48 Tests away from home at an average of 32.84, featuring a ton and 18 fifties. The third place previously belonged to Boucher with 2,514 runs from 72 away/neutral Tests including one ton and 15 fifties. Pant now has 2,534 runs from 36 away/neutral Tests, including six tons and 11 fifties.

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The list is topped by Pakistan's Sarfaraz Ahmed with 2,696 runs from 52 Tests, featuring three tons and 18 fifties. Notably, Pakistan didn't play home Tests for a long duration and treated UAE as their base. The second on the list is Australia's Adam Gilchrist with 2,634 runs from 41 Tests at an average of 49.69, including nine tons and five fifties.

Pant needs 24 runs to break all-time record

Pant surpassed Boucher (2,445 runs) on the list of most runs by a wicketkeeper-batter in away Tests. Pant now has 2,489 runs from 35 away Tests. He missed surpassing Dhoni by just eight runs. Gilchrist holds the record for most runs in away Tests with 2,512 runs from 38 Tests.

If India bat in the second innings of the Colombo Tests as well, the southpaw will need 24 runs to break Gilchrist's all-time record. Otherwise, he will have to wait for India’s tour of New Zealand later this year to break the record. Against the BlackCaps, he may end up breaking Sarfaraz’s record as well.

Pant's partnership with Jurel

Pant was retired hurt on three runs from 15 balls on Day 1. After Saransh Jain fell early to Asitha Fernando on Day 2, he walked out to bat. He hit six fours and two sixes in his 63-run knock from 89 balls. Just after the lunch break, he was dismissed by Keshara Nuwantha. He shared an 112-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Dhruv Jurel. This is India’s third-highest seventh-wicket partnership in Tests against Sri Lanka.