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Galle
India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant scripted history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian cricketer to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket. He also became the fastest batter in the history of the format to reach the landmark, achieving it in his 89th Test innings during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Pant reached the milestone on Day 4 when he struck Sri Lankan pacer Lahiru Kumara for a six while bringing up his 20th Test half-century. The maximum was his third six of the match and took him into an elite group of just four batters to have hit at least 100 sixes in Test cricket.
The 28-year-old surpassed former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist, who had needed 130 innings to reach 100 Test sixes. England’s Ben Stokes and New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum are the other players in the 100-six club, with 138 and 107 sixes respectively.
Pant’s record also underlined the attacking style that has become a defining feature of his Test career. He reached the 100-six mark after facing 4,918 deliveries, considerably fewer than Gilchrist’s 6,578 balls.
In the Galle Test, Pant had already contributed 39 runs in India’s first innings. In the second innings, he scored a brisk 66 off 69 balls, including his landmark six, as India strengthened its position in the match.
The achievement adds another significant milestone to Pant’s Test career and further establishes him among the format’s most aggressive wicketkeeper-batters. His ability to combine conventional Test batting with attacking strokeplay has made him a key figure in India’s longest-format setup.