Rishabh Pant is on the verge of creating history in the upcoming first Test against South Africa at the iconic Eden Gardens. The dynamic keeper-batter has already smashed 90 sixes in Test cricket and needs just one more to surpass the legendary Virender Sehwag’s record for the most sixes by an Indian in the longest format. Among active Indian Test players, only Ravindra Jadeja comes close to Pant’s tally, with 80 sixes to his name.
Most sixes for India in Test cricket:
| Player | Sixes |
| Virender Sehwag | 90 |
| Rishabh Pant | 90 |
| Rohit Sharma | 88 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 80 |
| MS Dhoni | 78 |
The series will also mark the return of Pant to international cricket. In the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford in Manchester, the 28-year-old hurt his foot, which ruled him out of action for nearly three months. He recently made his return, playing for India A against South Africa A at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Jurel likely to play behind Pant
Dhruv Jurel is expected to feature in the playing XI for the first Test against the Proteas, starting November 14. He will replace Nitish Kumar Reddy in the playing XI. The 24-year-old has impressed heavily with the bat, scoring unbeaten 132 and 127 against South Africa A in the unofficial Test and following which, the team management is keen to give him more time in international cricket.
In the absence of Pant during the West Indies series, Jurel scored a century as well. With no need for an extra pacer in sub-continent conditions, the youngster is likely to play the Guwahati Test as well.
India’s combination also needs to be monitored. The pitch curator indicated that the surface won’t traditionally favour the spinners, but it won’t be surprising if India play the trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar to strengthen their batting unit. Sai Sudharsan is also expected to continue at number three.