Pant turns calculated restraint into familiar carnage

Rishabh Pant reached a landmark that reflects both his power and his extraordinary scoring speed, striking his 100th six in Test cricket during India’s dominant fourth day against Sri Lanka in Galle.

The six took Pant level with Adam Gilchrist, the pioneer of modern Test counter-attacking batting. Only Brendon McCullum, with 107 sixes, and Ben Stokes, with 137, stood above him on the list. Pant reached 100 in just 4,918 deliveries, considerably faster than Gilchrist’s 6,578, Stokes’ 9,042 and McCullum’s 9,756.

Sri Lanka changes plans, but Pant finds the answer

After Pant launched Lahiru Kumara over extra cover for his 99th six, Sri Lanka tried to force him into a mistake. Asitha Fernando operated around the wicket with five boundary riders and repeatedly bowled short, challenging Pant to commit to the risk-reward contest on his terms.

For much of the second session, Pant resisted. He swayed away from rising deliveries, kept his bat out of harm’s way and refused to manufacture a shot. Against Nuwantha Keshara, he absorbed the pressure before turning the contest around with a reverse sweep for four, a pull and another reverse sweep in the same over.

When Kumara returned, the plan remained unchanged: spread the field and bowl short. Pant responded by shuffling across and pulling over fine leg for his half-century—and his milestone six. He then showed the discipline Sri Lanka had been trying to draw out, leaving the next bouncer alone.

India’s lead grows as Pant bends the game

Pant eventually fell to Kumara while attempting to smash another short ball, top-edging to Niroshan Dickwella. But by then he had scored 66 from 69 deliveries and significantly strengthened India’s lead. He made 17 from 21 deliveries at the halfway length, took eight runs from three hard-length balls and dispatched the only good-length delivery he faced for six.

His dismissal triggered a rapid end to India’s innings, with Ravindra Jadeja contributing 7 from 17 balls in a 54-run stand that was dominated by Pant’s shot-making. India nevertheless left the field with a 371-run lead on a 14-wicket day.

“I think he is one of those batters who you love to watch every day of the week,” Devdutt Padikkal said. “And he produces moments like he did today.”

Pant’s milestone also added another chapter to a long-running joke involving Tim Paine. During the 2018 Boxing Day Test, Paine had jokingly suggested that Pant could babysit his children while MS Dhoni returned to India’s limited-overs squad. Pant later appeared in a photograph with Paine’s children—and, in Galle, provided another reminder that he can turn a playful taunt into a striking statistical record.