Rishabh Pant wrote his name into the record books on August 18, 2026, becoming the fastest batter to 100 Test sixes. He reached the mark during the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium.
The 28-year-old India wicketkeeper-batter needed 4,918 deliveries, well inside the 6,578 balls taken by former Australia gloveman Adam Gilchrist, the previous record holder. The date carried extra meaning too: it was exactly eight years since Pant’s Test debut, against England at Nottingham on August 18, 2018.
Pant is only the fourth batter to reach 100 Test sixes, alongside Gilchrist, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
A pace well clear of the others
The gap to the rest of the group is striking. Stokes took 9,042 balls to get there and McCullum 9,756. Stokes still holds the all-time Test record with 138 sixes, and given Pant’s age and attacking approach he has plenty of time to challenge it.
In the World Test Championship, Pant has hit 80 sixes, second only to Stokes on 88.
Sixes at home and away
His 100 sixes have come in a range of conditions. He has hit 41 in 16 home Tests, with 28 in England and 15 in Australia.
After eight years in the format, the record adds to Pant’s reputation as one of the most aggressive wicketkeeper-batters in modern Test cricket.
