Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant equalled a world record during the 1st Test of the series against Australia with the 11th catch that he took. The 21-year-old equalled the record of Jack Russell and AB de Villiers, both of whom had taken 11 catches in a Test match. Rishabh successfully caught Mitchell Starc behind the wickets to equal the record. He caught six batsmen in first innings and five in the next en route the world record.
Bob Taylor (England), Adam Gilchrist (Australia) and Wriddhiman Saha (India) come next to Russell, De Villiers and Rishabh on the list of most catches in a Test with 10 catches. Rishabh is now the only Indian on the top, taking over Saha.
He has often been criticised for his ordinary wicket-keeping skills but Rishabh has already taken 31* catches in 6* Test matches.
As far as the match is concerned, India grabbed the key wickets of Shaun Marsh, Travis Head and Tim Paine as they inched towards their first Test win on Australian soil in a decade, with the home team battling to stay in the game.
They resumed the final day of the opening Test needing another 219 for victory with four wickets down.
Head added just three runs to his overnight 11 and when Marsh fell for 60 to leave the Australians 156 for 6, the odds shifted heavily in India’s favour.
But by lunch Australia had fought to 186 for 6, still needing a further 137 runs for victory, with skipper Tim Paine not out on 40 and Pat Cummins on five.
Paine was removed immediately after lunch for 41 by Jasprit Bumrah as India need just three more wickets to go 1-0 up in the four-match series.
