Rishabh Pant Better Than MS Dhoni? Ricky Ponting Digs Up Test Stats To Make Comparison

Having recovered from a near-fatal road accident, Pant is all set to make his return to international cricket. The wicket-keeper was named in India's squad for the first Test against visiting Bangladesh, to be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from September 19.

Known for playing match-winning knocks, Pant commands a huge fan base. Ponting, who has spent years in the Delhi Capitals camp in the Indian Premier League along with Pant is not immune to the youngster's charm.

"We've all seen him play and heard him in the stump mic, he's an infectious character to have around the group. He loves his cricket, he's a winner, that's what he is," Ponting said on Sky Sports.

The former Australia captain also claimed that Pant "doesn't just play to make a few runs and be out there for the fun of it." Pant made his international debut in 2017, in a T20 International against England. The 26-year-old has since played 75 more in the format besides featuring in 31 One Day Internationals and 33 Test matches.

"He must have four or five Test hundreds already and he's got about nine 90s as well. Dhoni played for 120 Tests (90) and made three or four hundred (six), this is how good this guy (Pant) is. He's a serious cricketer," Ponting added.

MS Dhoni, a larger-than-life figure, retired from Test in 2014 and then called his time on international cricket in 2020, on 15 August, India's Independence Day. He scored more than 17000 runs, including 4876 in Test. He is third in the all-time list of most runs by a wicketkeeper, behind fellow greats Adam Gilchrist (5570 in 96 Tests) and Mark Boucher (5515 in 147).

Touted as the heir apparent to Dhoni, Pant entered the Test arena in 2018. He has so far accumulated 2271 runs and affected 133 dismissals (119 catches and 14 stumpings) in the traditional format of the game. Dhoni, for the record, retired with 256 catches and 38 stumpings.

With India playing five Test matches more in the current ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle -- five at home (two against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand) and five away, in Australia, Pant indeed has opportunities galore to embellish his already impressive stats.