Jamie Smith And Rishabh Pant Surpass Alec Stewart-Ian Healy’s Record In England Test Series

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and his English counterpart Jamie Smith made history, as they together secured the highest aggregate by wicketkeeper-batters during a Test series in England.
The duo achieved this feat during the second Test at Birmingham.

Jamie Smith Hits Record-Breaking 184* in First Innings

While Pant contributed only 25 in the first innings, Jamie Smith took charge with a spectacular unbeaten 184 off 207 balls. His knock featured 21 fours and four sixes, helping England recover from a shaky 89/5.
His 303-run stand with Harry Brook took England’s total to 407, though they still trailed by 180. Jamie’s 184* also set a new record for the highest individual score by an England wicketkeeper in Tests, surpassing Alec Stewart’s 173 from 1997.

Rishabh Pant Strikes Back with Explosive 65, India Sets 608 Target

In the second innings, Pant stitched a 110-run partnership with Shubman Gill, scoring a thrilling 65 from 58 balls. His entertaining knock included several moments of drama—falling while playing shots and showing off raw power with three sixes and eight fours.

India declared at 427/6, extending their lead to 607 runs and setting a mammoth 608-run target for England.

Wicketkeeping Duo Surpasses 1993 Record, Smith and Pant Dominate Series

Together, Pant and Smith have scored a combined 698 runs in the series so far, surpassing the previous record of 674 runs by Alec Stewart and Ian Healy during the 1993 Ashes.

Jamie Smith is now the second-highest run-scorer in the series with 356 runs in four innings, averaging 178.00. Pant follows closely at third, scoring 342 runs with two centuries and one fifty at an average of 85.50.

India creates history with 68 68-year wait win 

India finally broke the Edgbaston curse with a thumping 336-run victory over England, sealing their first-ever win at the venue. After eight previous visits that ended in either defeat or draw, this time India got everything right-despite missing key players.

Akash Deep Steals the Show at Birmingham

With Jasprit Bumrah on the bench, all eyes were on how India’s bowling would hold up. Akash Deep, relatively new on the Test scene, rose to the occasion in stunning fashion.

He picked up ten wickets in the match, constantly troubling the English batters with his sharp seam movement and skiddy pace. England’s own fast bowlers couldn’t find the same bite on the pitch, making Akash’s performance stand out even more.

(With Inputs From ANI)

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