Rishabh Pant is India’s designated wicketkeeper-batter in the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium, and on Day 1 of the series opener, he played an unbeaten knock of 27 runs off 36 balls. He walked in to bat at No. 5 during the third session of the day’s play and hammered three fours and one six.
The six by Pant, which came off Prabath Jayasuriya’s bowling in the 68th over of India’s first innings, helped him extend his tally to 98 sixes in Test cricket.
Pant came into the match with 97 sixes to his name from 50 Tests and now has 98 sixes to his credit. His six on Day 1 helped him overtake legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who played 166 Tests for South Africa between 1995 and 2013 and scored
97 sixes.
Pant has now gone level with Chris Gayle. The former West Indies skipper and star opening batter finished his Test career with 98 sixes. Apart from Pant and Gayle, former New Zealand Test captain and fast bowler Tim Southee also hit 98 sixes in Tests for the Black Caps.
Most sixes in Tests
| Player | COUNTRY | TIME SPAN | MATCHES | INNINGS | RUNS | BEST SCORE | Ave | 100/50 | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Stokes | England | 2013-2026 | 122 | 220 | 7273 | 258 | 34.46 | 14/37 | 138 |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 2004-2016 | 101 | 176 | 6453 | 302 | 38.64 | 12/31 | 107 |
| Adam Gilchrist | Australia | 1999-2008 | 96 | 137 | 5570 | 204* | 47.6 | 17/26 | 100 |
| Rishabh Pant | India | 2018-2026 | 51 | 88 | 3584 | 159* | 43.7 | 8/19 | 98 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 2000-2014 | 103 | 182 | 7214 | 333 | 42.18 | 15/37 | 98 |
| Tim Southee | New Zealand | 2008-2024 | 107 | 156 | 2245 | 77* | 15.48 | 0/7 | 98 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 1995-2013 | 166 | 280 | 13289 | 224 | 55.37 | 45/58 | 97 |
| Virender Sehwag | India | 2001-2013 | 104 | 180 | 8586 | 319 | 49.34 | 23/32 | 91 |
| Angelo Mathews | Sri Lanka | 2009-2025 | 119 | 212 | 8214 | 200* | 44.4 | 16/45 | 90 |
Pant, who made his Test debut for India in 2018, is now the joint-fourth-highest six-hitter in the five-day format of the game.
If he manages to hit at least two more sixes in India’s first innings or later in the ongoing match, he will become the first Indian and only the fourth player in the world to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket.
As of now, only Adam Gilchrist, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes are part of the 100-plus sixes club in Tests.
Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Gilchrist was the first player to hit 100 sixes in Tests. He finished his 96-match Test career with 100 sixes. McCullum hammered 107 sixes in his 101-match Test career, while Stokes brought an end to his Test career in June 2026 with 138 sixes in 122 matches.
