Pant, Rahul in record books as India set England challenging total

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant led India’s charge with the bat, scoring vital centuries to put the tourists in a decent position with one day remaining in Leeds.

India were eventually dismissed for 364 in their second innings, setting a total of 371 for England to chase.

England reached 21/0 at stumps on Monday, still requiring a further 350 runs for victory on the final day.

"There's definitely going to be a result," a confident Rahul said after stumps on the fourth day.

"England have said very openly and their style of cricket suggests that as well, so it gives us a good opportunity to pick up 10 wickets.

"It's a very tricky wicket. I spent a lot of time batting out there and I didn't feel set at all at any given stage and tomorrow it might break up even more.

"You never know what to expect with wickets and with conditions and there's a bit of (inclement) weather as well tomorrow so we'll give ourselves the best chance to pick up 10 wickets and put pressure on them."

After starting the day just 96 runs ahead, and having lost a third wicket in their second innings early on, India were stabilised by Pant, who combined alongside Rahul to add 195 runs for the fourth wicket.

The stand was India's highest-ever partnership for the fourth wicket during their second innings of a Test match in England.

Overall, it was India's fourth-best performance for the fourth wicket in England. Incidentally, the three stands above them have also come in Leeds, with Pant and Shubman Gill's partnership of 205 from the first innings of this game sitting in third.

Rahul, who was also impressive with the bat in the first innings, made it count with his ninth Test century. The gritty innings, 137 off 247 deliveries, included 14 boundaries as Rahul dictated the pace of the play.

It was Rahul’s third Test hundred as an opener in England, making him the first opener from the sub-continent to do so.

Overall, it was the 33-year-old’s sixth ton as an opener in the longest format outside Asia, being the second-best for India only behind Sunil Gavaskar’s 15.

Pant, who had already plundered a century in the first innings, doubled it in the second, becoming only the second wicket-keeper to score twin centuries in a Test match.

The Indian swashbuckling batter joins former Zimbabwe wicket-keeper Andy Flower in the exclusive club.

It wasn’t the first time the prolific keeper-batter had raised the bat in England - his fourth Test ton in the country - having registered his first in his debut series back in 2018.

Pant now has the joint-most Test hundreds as a wicket-keeper batter in England alongside Matt Prior and Alec Stewart (4).

Notching 118 runs at a brisk pace off 140 deliveries, Pant dished out 15 fours and three maximums during his outing.

Pant’s three sixes to go with the six he had connected in the first innings make up for the joint-most by any batter during a Test match in England alongside Ben Stokes and Andrew Flintoff.