Galle, Aug 18: Rishabh Pant etched his name into the history books on Tuesday, becoming the first Indian batter and only the fourth player overall to smash 100 sixes in Test cricket during the opening Test against Sri Lanka.
Pant reached the landmark in his 51st Test when he launched Lahiru Kumara for a massive six, which also brought up his half-century off 53 balls. The milestone made him the fastest batter to reach 100 sixes in Test cricket and the first player in the 149-year history of the format to achieve the feat in fewer than 80 matches.
The Indian wicketkeeper-batter joined an exclusive club featuring England’s Ben Stokes, New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum and Australia’s Adam Gilchrist. Stokes leads the list with 138 sixes, followed by McCullum on 107, while Gilchrist also has 100.
Pant’s achievement is even more remarkable in terms of deliveries faced. He needed just 4,918 deliveries to reach 100 sixes, significantly fewer than Gilchrist’s 6,578, Stokes’ 9,042 and McCullum’s 9,756.
The 28-year-old entered the Test with 97 sixes and added one in the first innings before hitting two in the second innings to complete the milestone. His achievement also saw him move past India’s previous joint-highest tally of 91 sixes, held by Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma.
Pant’s landmark six came during an important phase of India’s second innings. After Dhruv Jurel was dismissed for seven, Pant counter-attacked while also showing considerable restraint against Sri Lanka’s pace attack.
Despite being repeatedly tested with bouncers by Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara, Pant displayed impressive shot selection, regularly leaving deliveries outside his scoring areas and avoiding unnecessary risks.
He was equally effective against spin. Instead of taking on off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha with high-risk shots, Pant employed the reverse sweep to collect boundaries and keep the scoreboard moving.
His aggressive 66 helped India strengthen their position as they looked to set a formidable fourth-innings target for Sri Lanka. At the break, India were 116 for four, holding a commanding 294-run lead.
Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya and Asitha Fernando were among Sri Lanka’s standout bowlers, but Pant’s counter-attacking approach ensured India remained firmly in control.
With his latest milestone, Pant has once again underlined his reputation as one of Test cricket’s most destructive wicketkeeper-batters, adding another landmark to an already remarkable career.
