Rishabh Pant fastest to 100 Test sixes, fourth man to reach the mark

Rishabh Pant became the fourth man to reach 100 Test sixes and was the fastest to do so on Day 4 of the first Test between Sri Lanka and India in Galle on Tuesday, August 18. He reached the landmark in his 89th Test innings when a six off Lahiru Kumara also brought up his fifty.

Pant's aggressive batting approach had divided opinion before the match. In India's first innings he scored 39 off 62 balls. On Day 4 he was given clear instructions to throw caution to the wind as India aimed to extend their lead and set a challenging target in the first Test. He came to the crease with India 81 for three following the dismissal of captain Shubman Gill.

He began cautiously, finding his first boundary off the 13th ball he faced. In the next over he stepped out to Lahiru Kumara and launched a six that cleared the boundary, prompting the umpires to call for a replacement ball. That hit simultaneously took him to his fifty and completed his 100th Test six.

India lost Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel before and after the lunch interval, after which Pant accelerated and began attacking the bowling. He targeted off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha, hitting him for three boundaries in the 36th over. In the following over he again struck Kumara for a six to break the record.

Pant added a couple more boundaries with unconventional shots before being dismissed for 66 off 69 balls. By the time he fell he had set the new record and helped move India into a commanding position in the first Test.