ENG vs IND 2025: Rishabh Pant goes past Rohit Sharma's six-hitting tally, just one behind Virender Sehwag

Published - 23 Jul 2025, 21:58 IST | Updated - 23 Jul 2025, 22:31 IST

Indian vice-captain Rishabh Pant etched his name into the record books by becoming the second-highest six-hitter in Test cricket for India. He achieved this feat on Day 1 of the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 20-25 at the iconic Old Trafford ground in Manchester.

Pant reached the milestone in style, launching a full-length delivery from Brydon Carse over wide long-on region for a maximum. The wicketkeeper-batter held his shape and powered the ball cleanly over the boundary on the third delivery of the 61st over while displaying his trademark aggression.

With that maximum, Pant took his tally to 89 sixes in red-ball cricket for India, surpassing former captain Rohit Sharma (88). He now stands just behind Virender Sehwag, who leads the Indian chart with 90 sixes in red-ball format for the Baggy Blues.

Earlier in the day, England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first at Old Trafford, a venue where teams choosing to field first have historically not fared well in Test matches.

India made three changes to their playing XI, bringing in Sai Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur, and Anshul Kamboj in place of Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Akash Deep. England, on the other hand, replaced the injured Shoaib Bashir with Liam Dawson.

India got off to a solid start in the morning session, reaching 78 without loss by lunch. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal handled the new ball skilfully under overcast conditions. However, England fought back strongly in the second session. Rahul was dismissed for 46, followed by Jaiswal, who notched up his 12th Test fifty, and his eighth against England, before falling to Dawson for 58. Indian captain Shubman Gill also fell cheaply, scoring 12 before being dismissed by his counterpart Stokes.

Netizens weigh in on Shubman Gill's dismissal in 4th Test

At the tea break, India were 149 for three. Pant and Sudharsan then stabilized the innings, bringing up a crucial fifty-run partnership and laying the foundation for a competitive first-innings total.