5 Indian batters with most sixes in Test cricket
Test cricket has undergone radical changes in the past few years. Teams like England have started to approach the game differently and have tasted success over the past year or so.
The biggest change has been in the mindset of the players and in contrast to the age-old tradition that the first hour of the match belongs to the bowlers. Batsmen these days try to play aggressive cricket and upset the bowlers early on in the game.
Ben Stokes, the English Test captain, recently surpassed Brendon McCullum as the batsman who has hit the most Test sixes (109) in the longest format.
As far as Indian cricketers are concerned, there have been a few players who have been known to take on the bowlers and clear the ropes frequently. Here is a look at five Indian cricketers with the most sixes in Test cricket.
#1 Virender Sehwag (91)
Virender Sehwag redefined the definition of an opening batsman in Test cricket. His natural game of attacking bowlers from the first ball worked wonders for him, especially in the longest format.
Sehwag holds the distinction of smashing the maximum number of sixes (91) for India in Test cricket. He is sixth overall in the history of Test cricket.
The 'Nawab of Najafgarh', with his attacking batting, scored 8,586 Test runs at an average of 49.34 in 164 Test innings and scored big against all opponents on all types of pitches. He scored 23 Test hundreds that included two triple centuries and was one of the best openers to have played Test cricket for team India.
#2 MS Dhoni (78)
MS Dhoni is second on the list for smashing the most number of sixes for his team in Test cricket. He notched up 78 maximums in his Test career, which consisted of 90 Test matches and 144 Test innings.
Dhoni, at the start of his Test career, was known to be a naturally attacking player. However, with the passage of time and with more responsibility on his shoulders, Dhoni became more measured in his approach and would spend more time at the crease.
Despite the controlled aggression, MSD finds himself second on the list and was one of the most successful wicketkeeper-batsmen for team India in Test cricket.
#3 Sachin Tendulkar (69)
The top run-scorer in international cricket is third on this list. Over an illustrious Test career spanning over two decades, Sachin Tendulkar played 200 Test matches and in 329 Test innings, smashed 69 maximums.
Tendulkar was altogether a different player in Test and the ODI format. In ODIs, while opening the batting, he had the license to play attacking cricket from the first ball.
However, as far as Test matches are concerned, he would take his time to get set and once he got his eye in, it was almost impossible for any bowler to get past him.
Tendulkar played against the best bowling attacks in the 1990s and 2000s and considering the said fact, his record of 69 sixes is indeed an incredible one.
#4 Rohit Sharma (68)
The current India skipper has played the least number of Test matches as compared to others on this list. In 80 Test innings, Rohit Sharma already has 68 Test sixes.
Sharma has played only 47 Test matches for team India in a Test career of almost 10 years. While he was and is still an indispensable part of limited overs cricket, the Mumbai batsman failed to live up to his full potential in Test cricket for quite some time.
However, since becoming an opener in the longest format, in 2019, Rohit has shown tremendous growth and maturity as a batsman in the longest format.
In a short Test career, Sharma has already smashed 68 Test sixes. By the time he calls it a day, the prolific scorer could end up as one of India's leading run-getters in all formats.
#5 Kapil Dev (61)
Kapil Dev smashed 61 sixes in his legendary Test career. The former India skipper was one of the best all-rounders ever to have played the game.
His record of 61 Test sixes is astounding considering the fact that he played most of his Test cricket in the 1980s when a number of great fast bowlers were in operation. Also, the lack of restrictions on bouncers and paucity of safety gear made batting even more difficult.
Yet, the legendary Indian all-rounder looked to play aggressive cricket while batting so that he could take the game away from the opponents in a short span of time.
Kapil Dev smashed 61 sixes in an era when T20 cricket was unheard of and ODI cricket was still in its early stages.