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Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant achieved an incredible milestone on Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Rishabh Pant surpasses Virender Sehwag to claim explosive record
Pant has officially become the Indian batter with the most sixes in the history of Test cricket, achieving the feat during the ongoing clash against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The left-handed batter reached this remarkable milestone on second day of the encounter after hitting two sixes during his brief stay at the crease while batting.
With these two massive hits, Pant took his career total to 92 sixes in Test cricket, moving past the previous record holder, former opener Virender Sehwag. Sehwag had previously held the record with a career tally of 91 sixes hit over his 104-Test career, a mark that Pant surpassed in significantly fewer matches. It is noteworthy that Sehwag’s final tally included 90 sixes struck while playing for India and one six hit while representing the ICC World Test XI team.
Despite securing the record, Pant’s comeback innings was not as fruitful as he might have hoped, as he was dismissed for just 27 runs. His dismissal came courtesy of Corbin Bosch, who found the way past the Indian vice-captain early in his innings. Overall, the world record for the most sixes in Test cricket is held by England’s all-rounder Ben Stokes, who currently maintains a commanding tally of 136 hits.
| Rank | Batter | Total Sixes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rishabh Pant | 92 | |
| 2 | Virender Sehwag | 91 | 90 for India, 1 for ICC World Test XI |
| 3 | Rohit Sharma | 88 | |
| 4 | Ravindra Jadeja | 80 | |
| 5 | MS Dhoni | 78 |
India’s middle order struggles against South Africa’s strategic bowling
India’s batting effort on Day 2 of the Kolkata Test quickly unravelled despite a solid, cautious start by the overnight batters, KL Rahul and Washington Sundar, who put on a valuable 50-run stand. The trouble began immediately upon the introduction of spin, as South Africa strategically exploited the pitch’s early signs of turn and variable bounce to bring themselves back into the contest. Off-spinner Simon Harmer was the initial wrecker, striking early to remove Sundar (29) and later picking up Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja (27) after the lunch break.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj deepened India’s woes by dismissing the patient Rahul for a well-made 39 runs, capitalizing on the turn and a slight edge. In between the spin onslaught, returning vice-captain Pant attempted to counter-attack but lost his wicket for 27 to pacer Bosch after top-edging a clever bouncer.
Compounding the batting troubles, captain Shubman Gill was forced to retire hurt early in his innings, struggling with a painful neck spasm, leaving the dressing room unsettled. Despite the numerous starts made by the top and middle-order batters, including Rahul, Sundar, Pant and Jadeja, none managed to convert their foundation into a substantial, match-defining score. The rapid fall of wickets saw India lose control after briefly taking the first-innings lead of 30 runs over South Africa’s low total of 159, highlighting their vulnerability on the tricky, two-paced surface.
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