Rishabh Pant is at the top of the run-getters list in this season: Having played in 6 games (9 innings), with a tally of 874 runs at an average of 97.11, with four centuries and two half centuries and a personal high of 308 runs, Rishabh Rajendra Pant, ‘stands tall’ in the run-getters list of the current season, thus far.

Having made his First Class debut for Delhi in the game against Bengal in October 2015, Pant has featured in 8 matches (13 innings – once unbeaten) and has accumulated 982 runs at an average of 81.83 with 4 centuries and 2 half centuries, at 108.03 strike rate.

Donning the wicket-keeping gloves, his ‘behind the stump’ performance also has been excellent. He has taken 21 catches and effected a solitary stumping.

All his four centuries have come in the current season. He scored 146 runs against Assam, 308 runs against Maharashtra, 117 runs and 135 runs in the two innings against Jharkhand.

Pant’s best knock came in the game against Maharashtra played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Winning the toss and batting first, Maharashtra, backed by a mammoth unbroken third-wicket (record) partnership of 594* runs in 164.5 overs, between the opener Swapnil Gugale and Ankit Bawne, notched up a huge 635 runs for the loss 2 wickets and declared their first innings.

The duo came together at the stage when the team score read 41 runs for the loss of 2 wickets and remained un-separated till the declaration of the innings.

Facing 521 deliveries, Mogale amassed 351* runs with the help of 37 fours and 5 sixes while his partner, Bawne, put up 258* runs, facing 500 deliveries aided by 18 fours and 2 sixes.

Replying to the huge score, Delhi started off poorly, losing their first wicket with just 31 runs on the board. Thereafter they kept of losing wickets unless Pant joined Dhruv Shorey in the middle, at the team score of 135 runs for the loss of 3 wickets.

The pair added 124 runs for the fourth wicket when Shorey departed after scoring 71 runs.

Pant continued the fight from one end and kept the score board moving while getting very little support from the other end. Wickets kept on tumbling one after the other.

Struggling single-handedly, Pant put in his best effort to take the team past the Maharashtra total, until he was stumped by the wicket-keeper, Vishant More, but not before he had scored his career’s first triple-ton, 308 runs which was studded with 42 fours and 9 sixes.

In the process, he became the second wicket-keeper-batsman and the youngest (19 years) to score a triple ton in the history of Ranji Trophy. KL Rahul is, incidentally the first ever wicket-keeper-batsman to accomplish that feat.

Globally, he follows the likes of Mudroch (321), Walcott (314*), Ahmed (300*), Perera (336), Bharat (308) and Ranasinghe (342).

Incidentally, he is the fourth youngest in the world to score a triple-century in First Class century, following Wasim Jaffer, Abhinav Mukund and Javed Miandad.

Pant departed at the team score of 577 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. Delhi’s first innings soon folded after adding another 13 runs, giving a vital lead of 45 runs to Maharashtra.

The match eventually ended in a draw.

Swapnil Gugale was adjudged the Player of the Match.