Rishabh Pant on brink of history, eyes record no Indian batter has achieved in Tests

Rishabh Pant has changed the tempo of Test cricket more than most Indian batters of his generation, and in Galle, the wicketkeeper-batter has another chance to add a landmark to his already remarkable record. Pant has struck 97 sixes in 50 Tests and needs just three more to become the first Indian batter to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket. Neither Virender Sehwag nor Rohit Sharma, two of India's most destructive Test batters, managed to reach the three-figure mark. If Pant gets there, he will enter an exclusive global club. Only three batters have hit at least 100 sixes in men's Test cricket. England's Ben Stokes leads the list with 138, followed by former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum on 107 and Australia's Adam Gilchrist on 100. Pant has already offered a glimpse of his intent ahead of the first Test. During India's warm-up game against the Sri Lanka Cricket XI, he hit three sixes in the second innings. Three more in Galle would take him straight into history. The setting also adds to the occasion. Galle International Cricket Stadium will host its 50th Test from Saturday, becoming the first Asian venue to reach the milestone. The picturesque ground, overlooked by the 17th-century Galle Fort and surrounded by the Indian Ocean, has long been one of Test cricket's most distinctive venues. But beneath the postcard setting lies a challenging examination for India's batters. Galle is expected to offer runs early in the Test before the surface increasingly brings spinners into the game. Extra bounce and drift can make batting progressively more demanding, particularly as the match wears on. That could make Pant's ability to disrupt bowling attacks especially valuable. India's batters will be looking to put behind them some of their recent struggles against spin, while Sri Lanka will hope their conditions can expose those vulnerabilities. India are also without Jasprit Bumrah for the series, adding another layer to the challenge in Sri Lanka. For Pant, however, the equation is simple. Three sixes stand between him and a piece of Indian Test history.

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