Rishabh Pant has created another world record in Test cricket. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter has become the fastest player in the history of the format to complete 100 sixes, reaching the landmark in only 89 innings.
Pant achieved the milestone during his important knock of 66 runs in the second innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle. He struck two sixes in the innings, with the second taking him to 100 sixes in Test cricket.
The achievement becomes even bigger when Pant’s numbers are compared with some of the greatest attacking batters the format has seen. Adam Gilchrist, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum all needed considerably more innings to reach the same landmark.
Rishabh Pant Completes 100 Test Sixes in Just 89 Innings
Pant needed only 89 innings to complete 100 Test sixes. Before him, former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist was the quickest to the landmark.
Gilchrist became the first player in Test history to hit 100 sixes when he reached the milestone against Sri Lanka in Hobart in November 2007.
Gilchrist’s milestone came in his 130th Test innings. Pant, therefore, reached 100 sixes 41 innings quicker than the Australian great.
Ben Stokes reached his 100th Test six against New Zealand at Headingley in 2022. The England all-rounder needed 151 innings to get there.
Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum completed 100 Test sixes against Sri Lanka in Dunedin in December 2015. He reached the landmark in his 170th Test innings.
Fastest Batters to 100 Sixes in Test Cricket
| Player | Innings to 100 Test Sixes |
|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | 89 |
| Adam Gilchrist | 130 |
| Ben Stokes | 151 |
| Brendon McCullum | 170 |
The difference itself shows how quickly Pant has reached the milestone. He took 41 fewer innings than Gilchrist, 62 fewer than Stokes and 81 fewer than McCullum.
For a player still in the middle of his Test career, these numbers are remarkable.
🚨 History by Rishabh Pant 🚨
Rishabh Pant becomes the fastest batter to smash 100 sixes in Test Cricket 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6HZuFEPaD6
— CricInformer (@CricInformer) August 18, 2026
Rishabh Pant Becomes First Indian to Hit 100 Test Sixes
The achievement is even more special from an Indian cricket point of view.
Pant is now the first Indian cricketer to complete 100 sixes in Test cricket. No Indian batter before him had reached three figures.
For years, Virender Sehwag held the Indian record. His overall Test career ended with 91 sixes in 180 innings, although one of those came while representing the ICC World XI. He hit 90 sixes while playing for India.
Pant had already caught Sehwag’s India tally during the 2025 Manchester Test against England. Despite batting with a fractured foot, Pant hit his 90th Test six and moved level with Sehwag’s tally for India.
He later went past the former India opener and has now taken the record into completely new territory by becoming the first Indian to reach 100 Test sixes.
For a country that has produced attacking batters such as Sehwag, Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, becoming the first Indian with 100 Test sixes is a major achievement.
Rishabh Pant is now the first Indian to smash 100 sixes in Test Cricket 🏏#rishabhpant pic.twitter.com/m3E9ZA6I2v
— CricInformer (@CricInformer) August 18, 2026
Pant Has Changed the Six-Hitting Standard in Indian Test Cricket
Sehwag was one of the most aggressive Test openers of his generation. His approach was different from most batters of his era, and his six-hitting record remained untouched among Indian players for years.
Pant, however, has taken attacking batting to another level in terms of the number of innings required.
The biggest point is not only that Pant has reached 100 sixes. It is the speed at which he has done it.
Pant does not always attack for the sake of attacking. A lot of his best Test innings have come when India have been under pressure. He has the ability to change the momentum of a match in a short period, particularly against spin.
That ability was once again visible in Galle.
Rishabh Pant’s 66 Was Crucial for India in Galle
Pant’s record came during an innings that was extremely important in the context of the match.
India had taken a first-innings lead of 178 runs after scoring 462 and then bowling Sri Lanka out for 284. However, batting became increasingly difficult as the Galle surface started offering more help to the spinners.
India were 116 for four at lunch on Day 4, with their overall lead standing at 294 runs.
At that stage, the visitors needed someone who could score quickly without allowing the Sri Lankan spinners to completely control the game.
Pant provided exactly that.
The left-hander scored 66 from 69 deliveries, at a strike rate of more than 95. On a surface where other batters were finding fluent scoring difficult, Pant was able to put pressure back on the bowlers.
His innings contained two sixes, and the second of those brought up his historic century of Test sixes.
Why Pant’s 66 Could Be Important in the Result
Pant’s 66 gave India valuable runs as they pushed their overall advantage beyond 350.
Without those runs, India’s lead would have remained below 300 for longer, which could have given Sri Lanka more confidence about a possible fourth-innings chase.
Instead, Pant’s counter-attacking approach allowed India to move the match forward quickly.
This becomes even more important in Galle because time is also a factor. India need enough runs to make Sri Lanka’s chase extremely difficult, but they also need enough overs to bowl the home side out.
Pant’s scoring rate helped India work towards both objectives.
He added runs without consuming too many deliveries and pushed Sri Lanka further away from the game.
Galle Pitch Makes India’s Lead Even More Valuable
The Galle surface has already shown enough turn and bounce for the spinners.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 284 in their first innings despite Sonal Dinusha’s century. India’s left-arm spin combination of Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja caused plenty of problems, sharing seven wickets.
Suthar picked up four wickets, while Jadeja took three.
With the pitch expected to become even more difficult for batting as the Test progresses, a fourth-innings target above 350 would put enormous pressure on Sri Lanka.
India, therefore, do not necessarily need a massive second-innings score. They need enough runs and, just as importantly, enough time for their spinners to attack.
Pant’s 66 played a big role in putting India in that position.
Pant Now Among Test Cricket’s Elite Six-Hitters
Only a very small group of players have managed to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket.
Ben Stokes sits at the top end of the all-time six-hitting list, while Brendon McCullum finished his career with 107 and Adam Gilchrist with exactly 100.
Pant has now entered that group, but his rate of hitting sixes separates him from the others.
Gilchrist changed the role of a wicketkeeper-batter with his attacking approach for Australia. McCullum was one of the most fearless batters New Zealand produced, while Stokes has played several aggressive and match-defining Test innings for England.
For Pant to reach 100 Test sixes considerably quicker than all three says a lot about the impact of his batting style.