Rishabh Pant proved why he is considered one of the best players in Test cricket as the Indian wicketkeeper-batter hit his second century of the first Test against England at Headingley.
Pant completed a 130-ball ton, to go with his first innings score of 134, as India's second innings lead went past 350 on Day 4 in Yorkshire.
The left-handed keeper batter became the first Indian to score hundreds in both innings of a Test against England.
He also became only the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score hundreds in both innings of a Test following Andy Flower's scores of 142 and 199 not out for Zimbabwe against South Africa at Harare in 2001.
Pant's innings included including 13 fours and two sixes as India upped the ante in the second session to reach 298-4 in 75 overs.
He was out for 118, caught by Zak Crawley off the bowling of Shoaib Bashir.
While Pant went on the attack, opening batter KL Rahul was all about technique as he reached three figures with minimum fuss.
After a morning session in which India captain Shubman Gill was the only batsman dismissed, Rahul and Pant raised the tempo in contrasting styles as India scored 80 runs in the first hour of the second session.
Rahul hit off-spinner Bashir for a textbook cover-drive four, while Pant edged Josh Tongue through a vacant second slip position and, on the next ball, thrashed him through the covers.
Another edge through the cordon took Pant to 49 before he completed an 83-ball fifty.
He then took on Bashir, driving the young spinner for two sixes in three balls.
Rahul, meanwhile, completed a 202-ball century featuring 13 fours. It was his ninth century in 59 Tests.
Pant and Rahul's stand was worth 195 runs. The first fifty runs took 19 overs, the second took 12 overs, and the third just six overs as they absorbed England's attack on a lively pitch in the morning before letting loose after lunch.
But the star of the day was Pant.
A month back, Rishabh Pant was enduring a torrid time, wondering where the next run on next win would come from as the new wicketkeeper, captain and star batter of the Lucknow franchise in the IPL.
But just as he struggles in white-ball format, Pant almost always delivers in red-ball cricket.
The open spaces and absence of fielding restrictions mean Pant can build the innings at his own pace. And his natural rate of scoring is very high, which becomes highly effective in Tests but seems average in shorter formats.
It has been a stunning return to cricket for Pant, who back in 2022 was severely injured in a life-threatening car crash but made an earlier than expected return to competitive cricket.
He was a member of the victorious national team in the 2024 T20 World Cup and went on to become the most expensive player in the history of the IPL.
And now, Pant, who is the vice-captain of the side, has hit back-to-back tons in the opening Test.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
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Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
More coverage from the Future Forum
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
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Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Honeymoonish
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
THE%20SPECS
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
