MS Dhoni vs Rishabh Pant in Tests
Debut:
MS Dhoni: vs Sri Lanka, 2005, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Rishabh Pant: vs England, 2018, Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
| PARAMETER | MS DHONI | RISHABH PANT |
| ICC Ranking (Best) | 19 | 6 |
| Matches | 90 | 31 |
| Innings | 144 | 53 |
| Runs | 4876 | 2123 |
| Highest | 224 | 159 |
| Average | 38.09 | 43.33 |
| Strike Rate | 59.12 | 72.66 |
| 50s | 33 | 10 |
| 100s | 6 | 5 |
| Catches | 256 | 107 |
| Stumpings | 38 | 11 |
Rishabh Pant in his young Test career has had better stats than MS Dhoni. Rishabh averages 40 having played the bulk of the Test matches away from home. He has played numerous match-winning knocks including centuries in England & Australia. If he can continue to deliver in the purest format of cricket, Rishabh can easily surpass MS in Test stats.
MS Dhoni vs Rishabh Pant in ODIs
Debut:
MS Dhoni: vs Bangladesh, 2004, MA Aziz Stadium.
Rishabh Pant: vs West Indies, 2018, Barsapara Cricket Stadium.
When it comes to limited-overs format, MS Dhoni is a huge name. His contributions in white-ball cricket have been as good as anyone in the list of best wicket-keeper batsmen ever. Adding to it, he has been the most successful Indian captain in the limited-overs format and one of the most successful captains ever, in the world. Rishabh’s sample size in ODIs is quite small and not up to his potential. He has a lot to improve in this format and understands the tempo of this game.
The table below represents the detailed stats of MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant in ODI cricket:
| PARAMETER | MS DHONI | RISHABH PANT |
| ICC Ranking (Best) | 1 | 71 |
| Matches | 350 | 27 |
| Innings | 297 | 24 |
| Runs | 10773 | 840 |
| Highest | 183 | 125 |
| Average | 50.58 | 36.52 |
| Strike Rate | 87.56 | 108.81 |
| 50s | 73 | 5 |
| 100s | 10 | 1 |
| Catches | 321 | 15 |
| Stumpings | 123 | 1 |
Clearly, the stats are tilted completely towards MS. Over 10k runs are just isn’t comparable to 715, is it? Rishabh has to have plenty of outstanding seasons in order to even be comparable to MS in this format.
MS Dhoni vs Rishabh Pant in T20Is
Debut:
MS Dhoni: vs South Africa, 2006, The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.
Rishabh Pant: vs England, 2017, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Rishabh Pant is by nature a dasher of the cricket ball. But surprisingly, his T20 stats are much inferior to his Test stats. He has underperformed in T20Is so far having an average of 24 with a strike rate of 126, which is quite below par to his standards. On the other hand, MS Dhoni played the role of a finisher for years. He has been the best finisher of the game to date. As he batted lower in the order, runs and milestones can’t just measure the impact he has had over the years. He has finished numerous matches for India and was their Mr Dependable.
The table below represents the detailed stats of MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant in T20I cricket:
| PARAMETER | MS DHONI | RISHABH PANT |
| ICC Ranking (Best) | 18 | 49 |
| Matches | 98 | 54 |
| Innings | 85 | 48 |
| Runs | 1617 | 883 |
| Highest | 56 | 65 |
| Average | 37.6 | 23.86 |
| Strike Rate | 126.13 | 126.5 |
| 50s | 2 | 3 |
| 100s | 0 | 0 |
| Catches | 57 | 11 |
| Stumpings | 34 | 7 |
MS Dhoni has the edge over Rishabh Pant in this format. But Rishabh has every chance to beat his idol given the talent he possesses. With the hitting power that he has, if he can work on his consistency, he can be one of the deadliest T20 players ever.
MS Dhoni vs Rishabh Pant in IPL
Debut:
MS Dhoni: vs Punjab Kings, 2008, Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.
Rishabh Pant: vs Gujarat Lions, 2016, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
Both MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant have been brilliant for their respective franchises in IPL. Dhoni has been the poster boy of IPL ever since its inauguration. Under his captaincy, CSK has won 4 IPL titles and has been the most consistent side in the tournament. Pant on the other hand joined the party in 2016 and hasn’t looked back ever since. For his consistent performances for Delhi Capitals, he has been awarded captaincy in absence of Shreyas Iyer.
The table below represents the detailed stats of MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant in IPL:
| PARAMETER | MS DHONI | RISHABH PANT |
| Matches | 234 | 98 |
| Innings | 206 | 97 |
| Runs | 4978 | 2838 |
| Highest | 84 | 128 |
| Average | 39.2 | 34.61 |
| Strike Rate | 135.2 | 147.97 |
| 50s | 24 | 15 |
| 100s | 0 | 1 |
| Catches | 132 | 61 |
| Stumpings | 38 | 18 |
As we see, both of them have some astonishing statistics in IPL. While batting as a finisher, Mahi has close to 5000 runs averaging almost 40. That’s some promising numbers given that he always has batted the tough overs. Destructive Pant has a career strike rate of almost 150. He also has a century to his name. He has displayed enough hitting skills to cause fear among the opposition. Pant has every ability to match MS if he can continue his form for a long period.
Final Words
In cricket, MS Dhoni is a brand; he is a huge name. His contributions to cricket can’t be judged by stats. Experts opine that “If a book is written on cricket, the final chapter would be written on MS Dhoni.” That’s been the level of this man and his contributions to cricket. The world will always recognize him as the greatest finisher of all time! Pant is still relatively young for international cricket. Even though he has been in the mix for several years now, he is only 24 years old having a long career in front of him. The talent he possesses is eye-catching and he already has made a mark in international cricket through notable performances. All in all, it may be said that Indian cricket has got a perfect heir to the kingdom set by MSD.
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