Statsman: Pant becomes eighth Indian batter to hit 50 or more sixes in Tests

Rishabh Pant has the highest innings per six ratio (0.42) among the eight Indian batters with 50 or more sixes in their Test careers.

Published : Jan 04, 2023 15:21 IST

Rishabh Pant comes down the track during his innings of 92 in the second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka. Pant hits a six every 23 balls in Test matches. | Photo Credit: AFP

Big-hitting Pant


8 The number of Indian batters to hit 50 or more sixes in their Test career. In the first Test in Chattogram, Rishabh Pant became the latest to do so for India. In doing so, in the 32nd Test match of his career, he required the fewest Tests to reach this landmark among Indians after Rohit Sharma, who hit the 50th six of his career in his 30th match. However, in terms of taking the fewest balls for a six, Pant is the leader, scoring his sixes every 23 balls, while Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma have hit their sixes every 32 and 42 balls, respectively.

Fifty or more sixes hit by Indians in a Test career

6s

Batter

Balls/6

Mts

Inns

Runs

HS

Ave

100

50

Inns/six

90

Virender Sehwag

77

103

178

8503

319

49.43

23

31

1.33

78

M. S. Dhoni

62

90

144

4876

224

38.09

6

33

1.07

69

Sachin Tendulkar

220

200

329

15921

248*

53.78

51

68

2.46

64

Rohit Sharma

42

45

77

3137

212

46.13

8

14

0.57

61

Kapil Dev

41

131

184

5248

163

31.05

8

27

1.37

57

Sourav Ganguly

105

113

188

7212

239

42.17

16

35

1.40

55

Ravindra Jadeja

32

60

89

2523

175*

36.56

3

17

0.66

55

Rishabh Pant

23

33

56

2271

159*

43.67

5

11

0.42


6 The number of Indian batters who missed the chance of scoring centuries in each innings of a Test match. These batters could only make a century and a 90 score in the same Test. The seven instances include Virat Kohli, who has done it twice. Cheteshwar Pujara, who made his long-awaited century in Chattogram after being dismissed for a 90 in the first innings, is the latest Indian to make an appearance in this list.

India batters making a century and a 90 score in the same Test match

1st

2nd

Batter

Against

Venue

Month, Year

Result

109

96

Chandu Borde

West Indies

Delhi

Feb 1959

Drawn

90

100

Mohinder Amarnath

Australia

Perth

Dec 1977

Lost

239

91

Sourav Ganguly

Pakistan

Bangalore

Dec 2007

Drawn

179

97

Gautam Gambhir

England

Mohali

Dec 2008

Drawn

119

96

Virat Kohli

South Africa

Johannesburg

Dec 2013

Drawn

97

103

Virat Kohli

England

Nottingham

Aug 2018

Won

90

102*

Cheteshwar Pujara

Bangladesh

Chattogram

Dec 2022

Won


51 The number of innings Cheteshwar Pujara needed to register the 19th three-figure score in his Test career (in the Chattogram Test) since scoring his previous century (his 18th) nearly four years ago at the SCG in January 2019. Only Chetan Chauhan and Gautam Gambhir went through a century-less period among top-order batters.

Most innings without a Test century for India among top-order batters

Inns

Batter

Runs

Ave.

50s

HS

From

To

68

Chetan Chauhan

2084

31.58

16

97

Sep 1969

Mar 1981

54

Gautam Gambhir

1462

28.12

12

93

Jan 2010

Nov 2016

51

Cheteshwar Pujara

1456

29.12

14

91

Aug 2019

Dec 2022

48

Ajit Wadekar

1263

28.07

7

91*

Mar 1968

Jul 1974

44

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

1207

28.07

11

95

Jun 1967

Jan 1975

Notes:

** Chauhan did not record a three-figure score in his entire Test career

** Gambhir’s final Test century (116), his ninth, came against Bangladesh in Chattogram on 20 Jan 2010. Then he did not register another until the end of his career.

** Pujara’s 18th century was the 193 against Australia at the SCG on 3 Jan 2019. His 19th 100 came in Chattogram on 16 Dec 2022.

**Wadekar’s only Test century — 143 was against New Zealand in Wellington on 2 Mar 1968. He did not register another until the end of his career.

** Pataudi jr’s final Test century (148), his sixth, came against England at Leeds on 12 June 1967. Then he did not register another until the end of his career.


118 The number of Test matches Jaydev Unadkat missed for India when he made a comeback to the side after a 12-year gap in Mirpur in the second and final Test against Bangladesh on 22 December 2022. He thus became the sixth player in Test history to miss 100 or more Tests for a side. Only England’s Gareth Batty has missed more Tests (142) than Unadkat. Before Unadkat, the Indian player to miss the most Tests was Dinesh Karthik, who missed 87 Tests from January 2010 to June 2018. Only two other Indians took more time than Unadkat — Lala Amarnath (12y-129d) and Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi (12y-10d) between their two Tests, but their span included six years of World War II (1940-1945).

Players missing 100 or more Tests in a row

Tests missed

Player

For

From

To

Years missed

Total Tests played

142

Gareth Batty

England

5-Jun-2005

20-Oct-2016

11y, 137d

9

118

Jaydev Unadkat

India

20-Dec-2010

22-Dec-2022

12y, 2d

2*

114

Martin Bicknell

England

9-Aug-1993

21-Aug-2003

10y, 12d

4

109

Floyd Reifer

West Indies

18-Jan-1999

9-Jul-2009

10y, 172d

6

104

Younis Ahmed

Pakistan

2-Nov-1969

21-Feb-1987

17y, 111d

4

103

Derek Shackleton

England

7-Nov-1951

20-Jun-1963

11y, 225d

7


6 The number of players to do the double of 3000 runs and 400 wickets in Test cricket history. R. Ashwin, playing in the 88th Test match of his career, became the latest to join this elite club and the second Indian after Kapil Dev. He achieved his 3000th run in the first innings of the Mirpur Test, thus becoming a part of this small group. Incidentally, Ashwin is the second quickest to reach this milestone after Kiwi Richard Hadlee, who did it in 83 matches.

With 449 wickets to his credit, Ashwin is one short of becoming only the third player in Test history to do the double of 3000 runs and 450 wickets. He should join Shane Warne and Stuart Broad with his next Test wicket.

Test players with 3000+ runs and 400+ wickets

Player

For

Tests

Runs

Wkts

Achieved the double

(Runs+wkts at the end of the innings)

Richard Hadlee

NZ

86

3124

431

in March 1990 in his 83rd Test match vs Aus in Wellington

(3017+413)

Kapil Dev

Ind

131

5258

434

in Feb 1992 in his 115th Test match vs Aus in Perth

(4690+401)

Shane Warne

Aus

145

3154

708

in Dec 2006 in his 142nd Test match vs Eng in Adelaide

(3018+690)

Shaun Pollock

SA

108

3781

421

in Dec 2006 in his 103rd Test match vs Ind in Jo’burg

(3520+402)

Stuart Broad

Eng

159

3550

566

in Aug 2018 in his 121st Test match vs Ind in Nottingham

(3008+427)

R. Ashwin

Ind

88

3043

449

in Dec 2022 in his 88th Test match vs Ban in Mirpur



42 R. Ashwin’s unbeaten match-winning knock in the fourth innings of the Mirpur Test match. His knock is now the highest individual score in Test history by a player batting at #9 or lower in a successful run chase.

Highest individual Test scores while batting at positions #9 or lower in a successful run chase

Runs

Batter

Bat#

For

Agst

Venue

Date

42*

R. Ashwin

9

Ind

Ban

Mirpur

22-Dec-2022

40*

Winston Benjamin

10

WI

Pak

Bridgetown

27-Apr-1988

38*

Sydney Barnes

9

Eng

Aus

Melbourne

7-Jan-1908

35

Rashid Latif

9

Pak

Aus

Karachi

2-Oct-1994

34*

Gerry Hazlitt

10

Aus

Eng

Sydney

19-Dec-1907


71 The unbeaten match-winning stand between Shreyas Iyer and R. Ashwin in the fourth innings of the Mirpur Test match set a few records for the eighth wicket in Test cricket. The tables below provide the details.

Highest Test match winning partnerships for the eighth wicket in a run chase

Stand

Pair

For

Against

Venue

Date

71*

Shreyas Iyer (29*), R. Ashwin (42*)

Ind

Ban

Mirpur

22-Dec-2022

52

Inzamam-ul-Haq (58*), Rashid Latif (35)

Pak

Aus

Karachi

2-Oct-1994

46*

Omari Banks (47*), Vasbert Drakes (27*)

WI

Aus

St. John’s

13-May-2003

41

Inzamam-ul-Haq (138*), Shabbir Ahmed (13*)

Pak

Ban

Multan

6-Sep-2003

34

Sammy Carter (61), Tibby Cotter (33*)

Aus

Eng

Sydney

19-Dec-1907


Highest Test match winning unbeaten partnerships in a chase for the eighth wicket

Stand

Pair

For

Against

Venue

Date

71*

Shreyas Iyer (29*), R. Ashwin (42*)

Ind

Ban

Mirpur

25-Dec-2022

46*

Omari Banks (47*), Vasbert Drakes (27*)

WI

Aus

St. John’s

13-May-2003

33*

Jack Hobbs (93*), Henry Leveson Gower (12*)

Eng

SA

Johannesburg

3-Mar-1910

30*

Ricky Ponting (118*), Jason Gillespie (4*)

Aus

Ban

Fatullah

13-Apr-2006

25*

Hugh Trumble (17*), James Kelly (8*)

Aus

Eng

Manchester

18 Jul 1896


Highest Test match winning unbeaten partnerships in a chase from a lower order pair (eighth wicket and below)

Stand

Wkt

Pair

For

Against

Venue

Date

78*

10

Kusal Perera (153*), Vishwa Fernando (6*)

SL

SA

Durban

16-Feb-2019

76*

10

Ben Stokes (135*), Jack Leach (1*)

Eng

Aus

Leeds

25-Aug-2019

71*

8

Shreyas Iyer (29*), R. Ashwin (42*)

Ind

Ban

Mirpur

25-Dec-2022

61*

9

Jeffery Dujon (29*), Winston Benjamin (40*)

WI

Pak

Bridgetown

27-Apr-1988

57*

10

Inzamam-ul-Haq (58*), Mushtaq Ahmed (20*)

Pak

Aus

Karachi

2-Oct-1994


All records are correct and updated until 31 December 2022