Rishabh Pant's Composed Batting Display Shuts Down Harry Brook's Sledge in Edgbaston Test

During the second innings of the Edgbaston Test, Rishabh Pant delivered a compelling response, not just with his bat, but also with his composure, silencing Harry Brook's attempts at distracting him.

Rishabh Pant celebrating his half-century against England.

As Pant accelerated towards his half-century, Brook engaged in some verbal sparring, attempting to unsettle the Indian batsman. "What's your fastest hundred?" Brook queried, aiming to introduce an element of recklessness into Pant's approach.

Pant, however, remained unfazed by Brook's antics. He responded calmly, "In Test cricket, maybe 80–90 minutes," referring to the measured tempo of his previous Test centuries.

Brook, undeterred, then brought up his own blazing century in the IPL. "The fastest hundred I've hit was in 55 balls—you could do that today," he baited, hoping to provoke Pant into playing rash shots.

But Pant refused to take the bait. "It's okay. I'm not too greedy for records. If it happens, it happens," he replied with a composed smile, effectively shutting down the sledging with quiet confidence.

After a first innings score of 25, Pant played an entertaining and crucial knock of 65 off 58 balls, including eight fours and three sixes, shifting the momentum back to India.

Pant's form in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) Tests is remarkable. He has now amassed 2,023 runs in 28 Tests, averaging 41.28, with six centuries and six fifties in 52 innings, his highest score being 159*.

In this series, Pant has been a standout performer, emerging as the second-highest run-scorer with 342 runs in four innings, averaging an impressive 85.00 with a strike rate of 81.81, including two centuries and a fifty. His highest score in the series is 134.

Pant's aggressive 65, alongside Gill's impressive 161, helped solidify India's position. The pair constructed a valuable 110-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Gill's innings followed his magnificent 269 in the first innings, and his 161 came off 162 balls, decorated with 13 fours and eight sixes. Jadeja contributed an unbeaten 69 (118 balls, five fours and one six) and formed a rapid 175-run partnership for the fifth wicket with the Indian captain.