Former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers shared his verdict on India keeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s exhilarating batting in the recent first Test against England in Leeds. Pant became the first Indian keeper and second overall to hit centuries in both innings of the match.

In the first innings, Pant struck 134 off 178 balls with 12 fours and six sixes. In the second innings, he counterattacked with 118 off 140 deliveries, which included 15 fours and three sixes. India lost by five wickets on the last day despite Pant's valiant efforts, but his performance cemented his place in history.

Pant became just the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score hundreds in both innings in a match with his twin hundreds. With a batting style rarely seen in the longest format, his daring strokeplay kept the Leeds audience on the edge of their seats and energized the match.

Despite pointing out the high-risk nature of Pant's strategy, De Villiers, who is renowned for his own aggressive style, commended him for playing the game on his terms.

"He plays with extreme risk. It's sometimes going to frustrate the living daylights out of you. I can count 20 occasions where he could have gotten out for under 30 in both innings. But he didn't - and that's the most important thing. He is a player that takes it to the opposition, and 99 out of 100 times, those are your successful sportspeople,” AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel, quoted by India Today.

Although De Villiers acknowledged that he was occasionally perplexed by Pant's bold shot choice, he insisted that the outcomes speak for themselves.

"I was on the couch, going, 'Rishabh, what are you doing? It's not the time and place for this.' But look at the results. That's all that matters. It's a huge shame they couldn't cross the line because he deserved to be the Man of the Match," de Villiers added.

Despite India's defeat in the series opener, de Villiers urged calm, saying there's no need for drastic changes yet.

"Lots of questions all of a sudden. I know there are a lot of media people around, writing the big headlines - 'we need change'. I don't think it's time to panic yet. It is a five-Test match series," he said.

The second Test between England and India will begin on July 2 in Birmingham.