Rishabh Pant added another milestone to his growing list of Test records as the India wicketkeeper-batter surpassed Australia legend Adam Gilchrist to become the third-highest six-hitter in Test cricket during the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Monday.Pant’s aggressive approach once again came to the fore as he smashed two sixes during his 63-run knock off 89 balls, along with six fours. Those two maximums took his Test six tally to 102 in just 52 matches, moving him past Gilchrist’s tally of 100 sixes in 96 Tests.Pant had already created history in the previous Test when he became the first Indian batter to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket. He is now only behind England’s Ben Stokes and former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum on the all-time list.Stokes leads the chart with 138 sixes in 122 Tests, while McCullum has 107 sixes in 101 matches. Pant, meanwhile, has reached 102 maximums in almost half the number of Tests played by Gilchrist.
Surpasses Dhoni’s away/neutral record
Pant’s knock also helped him surpass another landmark associated with India’s greatest wicketkeeping-batters. He overtook MS Dhoni to become India’s highest run-scorer by a wicketkeeper in away or neutral Tests. Pant has now scored 2,534 runs in 36 Tests and 64 innings, averaging 41.54, with six centuries and 11 fifties. Dhoni finished his Test career with 2,496 runs in 48 matches, including one century and 18 fifties.
Pant also becomes India’s leading WTC run-scorer
The Colombo Test brought another major record for Pant as he moved past India captain Shubman Gill to become India’s highest run-scorer in the World Test Championship. Pant has now accumulated 2,948 runs in 42 WTC matches and 74 innings at an average of 42.11 and a strike rate of over 74. His WTC record includes six centuries, 18 fifties and a best score of 146.Gill, meanwhile, had 2,917 runs in 42 Tests, including 10 centuries and nine fifties.