Rishabh Pant and Virender Sehwag: Defining Test batting in their own ways

Rishabh Pant proved his mettle once again in the longest format of the game in the fifth rescheduled Test of the 2021 series. He scored a brilliant century (146) in the match's first innings and got his team to a formidable total of 416 runs.

The counter-attacking cricket Pant plays in the game's longest format has been an asset for the Men in Blue. Although, from the beginning of his career in the international arena, it was regarded that his style was more suited for the limited-overs format; Pant has excelled in Test cricket.

Virender Sehwag was another man who impacted Indian wins in Test cricket with his attacking style of batting. Sehwag had taken the game away from the opposition on more than one occasion with his aggressive approach.

Much like Pant, Sehwag's game was also considered more suited for the shorter formats of the game. But in the case of the former batting star, it was noted that he had a better record in the game's purest form. 

Let us first have a glance at the careers of the two players.

Virender Sehwag

The fact that he was a better batter in the longest format of the game is evident from the table above. In Tests, he has scored about 48 runs in each innings he has batted on an average.

On the other hand, in ODIs, his RPI is 34, and T20Is, which goes further down to 21.88. But it may be considered that the opportunities of scoring big in the shorter formats are less. So, let us not reach a conclusion based on this.

So if we move ahead to the number of innings he has taken to score one fifty-plus score, his records in Test cricket are better in that case also. While Sehwag used to deliver a fifty-plus score in Tests every three innings, it went up in case of ODIs to more than four innings. In T20Is and IPLs, the stats go up to more than five innings.

Thus, it is evident that the former Indian opener was a more consistent player in the longest format of the game. 

Now let us take a look at Rishabh Pant.

Rishabh Pant

As the table shows, much like Virender Sehwag, he enjoys Test cricket the most. 

In Tests, Pant has snapped up a fifty-plus score every three innings, while in ODIs, he has taken about four innings to do it. In T20Is, the wicket-keeper batter takes about 14 innings to get a 50+ score; in IPLs, he takes about six innings.

So, much like Sehwag, Pant is more consistent and enjoys the longest format of the game than the limited-overs.

Why are these two players more successful in Test cricket, given their aggressive batting style?

Both Pant and Sehwag are players who enjoy scoring runs freely. The fact that suits these two players in Test cricket is the field settings. 

The teams in Test cricket look to keep more fielders in attacking positions so the outfield stays open. This is what Pant and Sehwag prefer. 

In a limited-overs format, once the field spreads out, the boundaries stop coming for batters like this. It gets into their heads, and they ultimately give away their wickets. 

Two different eras of cricket, but two similar players are helping India's cause in the longest format of the game. So, as fans, we can sit back and enjoy how Pant grows and helps take India to new heights in all game formats.