Rishabh Pant Becomes 1st Indian To Hit 100 Test Sixes, Tops Elite List

Rishabh Pant during IND vs SL Test (Source: AP Photos)

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant etched his name into the record books on Day 4 of the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.

Rishabh Pant has now become the first Indian batter to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket. Overall, he is only the fourth batter in the history of Test cricket to reach the landmark, joining an elite list that includes some of the biggest six-hitters in the format.

Rishabh Pant Creates History, Becomes First Indian To Hit 100 Test Sixes

Rishabh Pant reached the 100-six milestone in just 89 innings, making him the fastest batter to achieve the feat in terms of innings.

The Indian star achieved the landmark faster than former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, who took 130 innings to complete 100 sixes. 

England's Ben Stokes reached the mark in 151 innings, while former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum needed 170 innings.

Also Read: Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant Instigate Ravindra Jadeja In Galle Test

Fastest to 100 Sixes in Tests (By Innings)

• 89 – Rishabh Pant*
• 130 – Adam Gilchrist
• 151 – Ben Stokes
• 170 – Brendon McCullum

Among Indian players, Virender Sehwag claims the second position for the most Test sixes with 90 maximums under his belt. Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni are placed second, third and fourth with 88, 82 and 78 sixes, respectively. 

Rishabh Pant ranked 4th on list of batters with most Test sixes

Ben Stokes currently leads the overall six-hitting chart in Test cricket with 138 sixes for England. Brendon McCullum follows him with 107 sixes, while Adam Gilchrist finished his Test career with 100 sixes. Rishabh Pant is placed fourth and needs 39 sixes to go past Ben Stokes, who has already announced his retirement. 

Most Sixes In Tests

• 138 - Ben Stokes (England)
• 107 - Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)
• 100 - Adam Gilchrist (Australia)
• 100* - Rishabh Pant (India)

Other Notable Records Created By Pant in Galle Test

Most Sixes in ICC World Test Championship; Pant At 2nd Spot

Pant has hit 80 sixes in the ICC World Test Championship, making him the second-highest six-hitter, behind Ben Stokes, who has 88.

Fastest to 100 Test sixes (Balls Faced)

Rishabh Pant is also the fastest batter to reach 100 Test sixes, doing it in just 4,918 balls. He is ahead of Adam Gilchrist, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

• 4918 balls - Rishabh Pant*
• 6578 balls - Adam Gilchrist 
• 9042 balls - Ben Stokes 
• 9756 balls - Brendon McCullum

How Did Rishabh Pant Complete 100 Sixes In Test Cricket?

Rishabh Pant's big milestone came from an aggressive stroke against Lahiru Kumara in the ongoing IND vs SL 1st Test. The ball was delivered at a good pace and came in toward Pant’s body. Instead of staying still and trying to defend it, Pant quickly shifted his position and opened himself up for the shot.

He waited for the ball to come into his hitting area before using the pace behind it. With a quick movement of his arms and a firm turn of his wrists, he played the ball toward the leg side.

The ball went quickly toward the fine-leg region with the fielder already positioned inside the boundary. As he moved backwards, the ball cleared him and went past the rope.

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