Fastest to 100 Test sixes ever — Where does Pant rank?

As Rishabh Pant changed gears and went under the short ball to pull it from inside the line over long-on, the left-handed batter got his name in the record books with 100 sixes. He became the fastest batter to get this record during the opening Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka at the Galle Cricket Club.

Pant made his debut in the longest format during the third Test of the 2018 England series, which took place at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Eight years after making his debut, the southpaw has continued to be aggressive with the bat and smash the big shots around the park.

Not many players have been able to get the record of 100 sixes or more in the five-day format. And among them, the wicket-keeper batter has done something that no one was ever able to do.

Fastest to reach 100 sixes in Test cricket, ranked by innings

Here are the players who are the fastest to reach 100 sixes in Test cricket, ranked by innings:

#4 Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)-

The former captain of the New Zealand side, Brendon McCullum, is the fourth fastest to reach 100 sixes in Test cricket. He got to the mark in 170 innings and finished his career with 107 sixes in the longest format, in which he smashed 6453 runs in 176 innings at an average of 38.64, thanks to his 31 half-centuries and 12 centuries at the best score of 302 runs.

Apart from that, McCullum also nailed 200 sixes in ODIs for the Blackcaps, in which he managed 6083 runs at a strike rate of 96.37, along with his 91 over boundaries in the T20Is for his 2140 runs in 70 innings. McCullum was always known for his aggression when he used to come down the track and smash the big shots.

#3 Ben Stokes (England)-

The former captain of the England side, Ben Stokes, finds himself in third position in the table. He reached his 100 sixes of the longest format in 151 innings. Overall, the left-handed batter nailed 138 sixes in his red-ball career to drill 7273 runs in 220 innings at an average of 34.46 and a fine strike rate of 58.52, shouldering 37 fifties and 14 centuries at the best score of 258 runs.

Apart from that, Ben Stokes collected 109 over boundaries in his 99 innings of the ODI format, having bagged 3463 runs at a strike rate of 95.68 along with his 22 sixes in 36 innings of the shortest format. Stokes was always an entertainer and retired from the game in the same fashion after the third Test match against the Blackcaps.

#3 Adam Gilchrist (Australia)-

Australia’s Adam Gilchrist became the second fastest to reach 100 sixes in the longest format. He finished his career with 100 sixes in 137 innings in which he nailed 5570 runs at an average of around 48 and a fine strike rate of 81.95, having bagged 17 centuries and 26 half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 204 runs.

In the ODIs, the southpaw has also clubbed 149 sixes to record 9619 runs in 279 innings at an average of 35.89 and a blistering strike rate of 96.94; while in the early stages of the shortest format, he got 13 sixes. Just like the other two batters, Gilchrist was also an aggressive performer and always wanted to put the pressure back on the opposition.

#1 Rishabh Pant (India)-

During the second innings of the opening Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle, Pant set the record of 100 sixes in Test cricket in 89 innings. He smashed a thrilling knock of 66 runs off 69 balls in this knock with the help of eight boundaries and two sixes at a strike rate of 95.65.

Pant has overall smashed 100 sixes for India so far in his career of 3662 runs at an average of 43.50 and a strike rate of 74.21, thanks to his eight centuries and 20 fifties, with his best score of unbeaten 159 runs against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). In first-class cricket, he has hit 192 sixes in 133 innings.

Pant has also collected 26 sixes in 27 ODI innings along with his 44 sixes in the 66 innings of the shortest format. Pant, who became the first Indian player to reach 100 sixes in the five-day format, will look to break the record of 138 sixes by Stokes, who has retired from the format in 2026.