Rishabh Pant is known for his flashy style, especially his signature one-handed sixes. He pulls off these shots effortlessly, making them look easy. Whether it’s fast bowlers or spinners, no one seems to escape his powerful hits.
Let’s take a look at his top five one-handed sixes
1. Pant vs Tim Southee, second T20I, 2021 – Ranchi
India played against New Zealand in three T20 matches after the 2021 T20 World Cup. In the second match in Ranchi, New Zealand set a target of 154 runs. Harshal Patel, playing his first match, bowled exceptionally well.
In reply, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma batted brilliantly, scoring 117 runs together. When the wicketkeeper came to bat, India needed only 17 runs to win.
The 24-year-old decided to finish the game in style by hitting Jimmy Neesham for a six in the 18th over. With a powerful shot, the ball sailed over the long-off boundary, securing India’s seven-wicket victory.
India needed Pant’s help when they played against Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup. After losing some important early wickets, Pant had to come in to bat early in the game when India was in trouble at 31-3.
The captain at the time, Virat Kohli, worked with Rishabh Pant to stabilize the innings and prevent more wickets from falling. Once Pant got comfortable, he started attacking the Pakistani bowlers.
In the 11th over, Rishabh Pant hit two sixes in a row against Hasan Ali. Even though he didn’t connect perfectly with the first shot, the ball still went over the boundary. Then, Ali bowled another ball that Pant hit cleanly for another six.
Rishabh Pant scored 39 runs off 30 balls, which was important for India, but unfortunately, India lost the match to Pakistan by 10 wickets, with Babar Azam leading the Pakistani team.
3. Pant vs Jack Leach, 5th Test, 2022 – Edgbaston
The young cricketer, known for loving left-arm spin bowlers, especially in long matches, has a good reputation. England’s Jack Leach has often found himself struggling against this dynamic batsman.
In the fifth Test match against England, which was moved to July, India was in trouble at 64-3 when the confident batsman stepped onto the field. He then partnered with Ravindra Jadeja, who scored his first hundred in an overseas match.
After reaching fifty in the 43rd over, the batsman decided to step up his game. He hit an incredible one-handed six off the English left-arm spinner. This remarkable shot not only crossed the boundary but traveled an astonishing 101 meters, leaving everyone amazed.
Despite the 24-year-old’s impressive score of 146, India couldn’t win the match. The team led by Ben Stokes managed to chase an incredible number of runs, resulting in a drawn series at 2-2.
4. Pant vs Jason Holder, 2nd T20I 2022 – Eden Gardens
After the T20 World Cup mess in 2021, the Indian cricket team had a great time playing at home. They won many matches easily, especially against West Indies.
In the second T20 match, Pant had a tough job when he came to bat in the 14th over. But he played really well and helped India score more than 180 runs. He hit an amazing shot off Jason Holder in the second last over.
Holder bowled a bad ball, and Pant hit it for a six with just one hand on the leg side. Pant’s excellent batting helped India win the match by seven runs. With this win, India also won the series, with one match still to play.
5. Pant vs Dhananjaya de Silva, 1st Test 2022 – Mohali
India won 2 out of 2 matches against Sri Lanka in the Test series earlier this year. The first match was played in Mohali. It was also the first time Rohit Sharma was leading as captain in Test cricket. India played really well and won the match by a big score of 222 runs.
In the first innings, Sri Lanka set the field back for a left-handed batsman who was playing aggressively. He had scored 76 runs off 82 balls. The batsman decided to attack the off-spinner Dhananjaya de Silva. He came forward and hit the ball straight down the ground. The fielders at long-on and long-off couldn’t do anything as the ball went into the stands.
Sadly, he got out for 96 runs. It’s another time he couldn’t make it past the nervous nineties.