Shreyas Iyer vs Rishabh Pant: Who Is Better? Batting and Stats Comparison

Two completely different batting styles. Shreyas Iyer builds innings with calm and placement. Rishabh Pant destroys bowling attacks with chaos and ease. Both have led IPL franchises. Both have scored big runs for India. But when you put the statistics side by side in each format, the picture becomes much clearer than discussed.

Test Cricket

This is where Rishabh Pant is in a class of his own. In 50 Tests, he has scored 3557 runs at an average of 43.4, including eight centuries and 19 half-centuries. Shreyas Iyer has played just 14 Tests, scoring 811 runs at an average of 36.9, including one century and five half-centuries. The number of Test matches makes this comparison one-sided. Pant has been India’s first-choice wicketkeeper batsman in red-ball cricket for years.

In Tests, Pant has scored 3476 runs at an average of 42.9 in 49 matches. His ability to turn a Test match around from a losing position is something Indian cricket has rarely seen from a wicketkeeper. Shreyas’ Test average is good but the sample size is too small to challenge Pant in this format. Pant wins Test cricket and he is not even close to it.

ODI Cricket

Formats change and so do decisions. Shreyas Iyer has played 76 ODIs scoring 2977 runs at an average of 46.5 and a strike rate of 98.6, including five centuries and 23 half-centuries. Pant has played only 31 ODIs scoring 871 runs at an average of 33.5, including one century.

The difference in the matches played tells the story. Shreyas has been a regular in the Indian ODI team for years while Pant has never been able to find a place in the middle order in a 50-over game. Scoring five ODI centuries against one is a statement. Shreyas wins this format without argument..

Also Read: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: Schedule, Teams and Match List

T20 International Cricket

No player has dominated T20s as much as the best players in the world. Pant has played 76 T20 matches, scoring 1209 runs at an average of 23.2 and a strike rate of 127.3, with no centuries and just three half-centuries. Shreyas has played 51 T20 matches, scoring 1104 runs at an average of 30.7 and a strike rate of 136.1, with eight half-centuries.

Shreyas wins both on average and strike rate. Pant has more matches but the returns do not justify the opportunities. Indian fans do not expect a strike rate of 127.3 from a batsman known for his aggression in this format. Based on statistics alone, Shreyas is the best batsman in T20 matches.

IPL

This is where the debate becomes real. Shreyas has played 147 IPL matches, scoring 4229 runs at an average of 35.8 and a strike rate of 136.7, including one century and 32 half-centuries. Pant has played 139 matches, scoring 3865 runs at an average of 33.6 and a strike rate of 146.8, including two centuries and 20 half-centuries. Shreyas leads in runs, average and half-centuries. Pant leads in strike rate and that is important in T20 cricket.

Pant’s strike rate of 148.2 compared to Iyer’s 129.2 tells the story of a batsman who constantly puts bowlers under pressure and changes the tempo of the match. But consistency wins tournaments. Lucknow Super Giants spent Rs 27 crore on Pant, the highest expenditure on any player in IPL history.

In 13 matches in IPL 2026, Shreyas scored 1015 fantasy points at an average of 78 points per match. Be it a dip in form or a change in franchise, runs keep coming for Shreyas. Pant can win a match in an over but can also be absent for a long time.

Who Is Better Overall?

Pant is the best Test batsman. That much is certain. His record of whitewashes in over 50 matches is one of the best batsmen India has produced from the wicketkeeper position in the modern era. Shreyas is the best ODI and T20I batsman by a comfortable margin. The gap is narrow in the IPL but Shreyas pushes it further on the basis of volume and consistency.

Shreyas Iyer has taken three different franchises to the IPL final in the last six seasons and in each season he has played at least 14 games in which he has crossed the 300-run mark.
That kind of reliability is rare. Pant is the match-winner you need on your best day. Shreyas is the batsman you need on all your days.

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