India vs South Africa: Rishabh Pant Becomes India’s Leading Six-Hitter in Test Cricket. Rishabh Pant has made history, becoming India’s all-time six-hitter in Test cricket, surpassing the legendary Virender Sehwag’s record of 90 sixes. The feat occurred at the Eden Gardens on Day 2 of the 1st match against South Africa.
Pant has reimagined the position of wicketkeeper batter in the longest format of the game and scored his 91st six in the innings, taking him past Sehwag’s record. The nature of this record, and what makes it even more remarkable, is the pace at which he reached it. Sehwag held the record over the course of 103 Tests and 178 innings, whereas Pant broke the record across 47 Tests and 83 innings: a measure of his aggressive, fearless approach to batting that has become his calling card.
A New Era of Test Batting
Pant’s record-breaking shot is the perfect manifestation of his approach to batting: bold, instinctive, and steely. His ability to change the game with counter-attacking shots makes him one of India’s most consequential modern Test players. Eden Gardens rose to its feet as Pant raised his bat to the cheers of an other-worldly accomplishment that personifies evolution in Test cricket – classical defence and frenzied aggression.
For a long time, Sehwag was the only representative of power-hitting in Indian red-ball cricket. Today, Pant is stepping in with his own style. This achievement not only establishes him as a bona fide anchor in India’s Test set-up but also signals his ascendancy as one of his generation’s most entertaining and influential batters.
Also Read:
Despite many more years ahead of him, Pant is just starting his six-hitting story, and Indian cricket may just be seeing one of the most explosive Test players it has ever had.