Pant becomes first India batter with 100 Test sixes
Rishabh Pant became the first player from India to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket on Tuesday, adding a world pace record to the landmark during the opening Test against Sri Lanka at Galle.
The wicketkeeper-batter reached three figures for career Test sixes when he launched fast bowler Lahiru Kumara over the boundary during India’s second innings on the fourth day. The stroke also completed Pant’s 20th Test half-century and underlined his position as one of the most aggressive batters in the longer format.
Pant reached 100 sixes in his 89th Test innings, comfortably the quickest any batter has attained the milestone. Adam Gilchrist had previously required 130 innings, while Ben Stokes took 151 and Brendon McCullum 170.
The 28-year-old also became only the fourth player to reach 100 Test sixes. Stokes leads the all-time list with 138, followed by former New Zealand captain McCullum with 107. Pant moved alongside former Australia wicketkeeper Gilchrist on 100.
Pant had entered the Galle Test with 97 sixes from 50 matches. He struck one maximum during his first-innings 39, taking him to 98, before clearing the ropes twice in the second innings to become the first player from India to reach the century mark.
Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma had previously set the benchmark among players from India with 91 Test sixes each. Pant has passed them despite playing significantly fewer matches, reflecting the unusually high frequency with which he has attacked the boundary during his Test career.
His milestone six came during an important phase of India’s second innings. Pant walked in with the score at 81 for three after captain Shubman Gill was dismissed, with India seeking to build on a first-innings advantage of 178 runs.
Pant was initially measured, waiting until his 13th delivery for his first boundary. He then accelerated sharply. A powerful six off Kumara sent the ball out of the ground and forced a replacement before Pant targeted the Sri Lanka attack more aggressively as India sought to stretch the lead beyond manageable proportions.
The landmark arrived when Pant again attacked Kumara. His fifty came from 53 balls, with the six taking his career tally to 100. He continued to score quickly and was eventually dismissed for 66 from 69 deliveries, an innings that contained a succession of unconventional attacking strokes.
Pant’s contribution strengthened India’s already commanding position after the tourists had controlled much of the match. India made 462 in their first innings, built around Devdutt Padikkal’s maiden Test century. Padikkal scored 167, while KL Rahul contributed 82 and Dhruv Jurel made 51.
Sri Lanka responded with 284 despite a century from Sonal Dinusha and 80 from Niroshan Dickwella. Left-arm spinners Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja shared seven wickets, giving India a sizeable advantage before their second innings began.
Pant’s achievement adds another distinctive record to a Test career defined by high-risk batting in demanding situations. Since making his debut against England at Nottingham in 2018, he has established himself as a rare wicketkeeper capable of changing the course of Test matches through sustained attacking play.
His six-hitting rate is particularly striking because Test cricket traditionally offers fewer opportunities for sustained power hitting than limited-overs formats. Pant required 4,918 deliveries faced to reach 100 sixes, substantially fewer than the other players to have achieved the landmark.
Gilchrist needed 6,578 deliveries to complete his century of sixes, while Stokes required 9,042 and McCullum 9,756. Pant’s numbers therefore reflect not simply longevity but the frequency with which he has used the aerial route throughout his career.
The wicketkeeper-batter reached three figures for career Test sixes when he launched fast bowler Lahiru Kumara over the boundary during India’s second innings on the fourth day. The stroke also completed Pant’s 20th Test half-century and underlined his position as one of the most aggressive batters in the longer format.
Pant reached 100 sixes in his 89th Test innings, comfortably the quickest any batter has attained the milestone. Adam Gilchrist had previously required 130 innings, while Ben Stokes took 151 and Brendon McCullum 170.
The 28-year-old also became only the fourth player to reach 100 Test sixes. Stokes leads the all-time list with 138, followed by former New Zealand captain McCullum with 107. Pant moved alongside former Australia wicketkeeper Gilchrist on 100.
Pant had entered the Galle Test with 97 sixes from 50 matches. He struck one maximum during his first-innings 39, taking him to 98, before clearing the ropes twice in the second innings to become the first player from India to reach the century mark.
Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma had previously set the benchmark among players from India with 91 Test sixes each. Pant has passed them despite playing significantly fewer matches, reflecting the unusually high frequency with which he has attacked the boundary during his Test career.
His milestone six came during an important phase of India’s second innings. Pant walked in with the score at 81 for three after captain Shubman Gill was dismissed, with India seeking to build on a first-innings advantage of 178 runs.
Pant was initially measured, waiting until his 13th delivery for his first boundary. He then accelerated sharply. A powerful six off Kumara sent the ball out of the ground and forced a replacement before Pant targeted the Sri Lanka attack more aggressively as India sought to stretch the lead beyond manageable proportions.
The landmark arrived when Pant again attacked Kumara. His fifty came from 53 balls, with the six taking his career tally to 100. He continued to score quickly and was eventually dismissed for 66 from 69 deliveries, an innings that contained a succession of unconventional attacking strokes.
Pant’s contribution strengthened India’s already commanding position after the tourists had controlled much of the match. India made 462 in their first innings, built around Devdutt Padikkal’s maiden Test century. Padikkal scored 167, while KL Rahul contributed 82 and Dhruv Jurel made 51.
Sri Lanka responded with 284 despite a century from Sonal Dinusha and 80 from Niroshan Dickwella. Left-arm spinners Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja shared seven wickets, giving India a sizeable advantage before their second innings began.
Pant’s achievement adds another distinctive record to a Test career defined by high-risk batting in demanding situations. Since making his debut against England at Nottingham in 2018, he has established himself as a rare wicketkeeper capable of changing the course of Test matches through sustained attacking play.
His six-hitting rate is particularly striking because Test cricket traditionally offers fewer opportunities for sustained power hitting than limited-overs formats. Pant required 4,918 deliveries faced to reach 100 sixes, substantially fewer than the other players to have achieved the landmark.
Gilchrist needed 6,578 deliveries to complete his century of sixes, while Stokes required 9,042 and McCullum 9,756. Pant’s numbers therefore reflect not simply longevity but the frequency with which he has used the aerial route throughout his career.