Rishabh Pant lit up Day 4 of the first Test against Sri Lanka with a record that blends audacity with history-becoming the fastest batter to smash 100 sixes in Test cricket.
Pant reached the milestone in his 89th innings, launching Lahiru Kumara into the stands in trademark fashion while racing to his fifty. The 73-ball blitz ended at 66, but not before he carved his name alongside legends.
The numbers underline his impact: Pant’s 100 sixes came off just 4,918 deliveries, far quicker than Adam Gilchrist (6,578), Ben Stokes (9,042) and Brendon McCullum (9,756). He now joins Gilchrist (100), McCullum (107) and Stokes (138) in the elite club, with Tim Southee trailing at 98.
Pant’s approach had divided opinion before the match, but his innings silenced doubts. After a cautious 39 in the first innings, he shifted gears when India lost quick wickets, hammering off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha for three boundaries in one over before breaking the record with a towering six.
India’s aggressive wicketkeeper-batter has once again shown that his fearless style is not recklessness, it’s revolution.