Pant scripts history, leapfrogs Gill to become India’s top WTC run-sc…

In a remarkable feat, Rishabh Pant has now taken the lead in India's World Test Championship run charts, overtaking Shubman Gill following his impressive performance in Galle. Pant's milestone of achieving 100 Test sixes marks a historic moment for Indian cricket. Following him in the standings are Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, while Joe Root continues to hold the overall lead in World Test Championship runs.

India vs Sri Lanka 2026 1st Test: Team India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant became the first-ever Indian batter to hit 100 sixes in the history of Test match cricket. Pant achieved this feat with a couple of sixes en route to scoring 66 in 69 balls in the second innings of 1st Test vs Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium on Tuesday.

The Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper has been on a different level when it comes to hitting sixes in Test cricket since 2025. In this duration, Pant has smashed incredible 32 sixes till date – 26 of them coming in 2025 and six so far this year. trojkonferencja2024.pl

Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal held the Indian record by smashing 36 sixes in Test cricket in the year 2024. But the Rajasthan Royals opener has trailed off since then – managing only six maximums in Test cricket since 2025.

Indian captain Shubman Gill also trails Pant in this aspect of the game. He hit 15 sixes in the years 2025 en route to scoring 983 runs in 9 Tests for India and has only managed 1 six in the couple of Tests in 2026.

Rishabh Pant walks back after a typically flamboyant half-century. ‍

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Out of his 100 sixes in Test cricket, Pant has hammered 76 sixes off the bowling of spin bowlers – hitting England spinners Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir for nine maximums each. Only former England captain Ben Stokes and former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-haq have hit more Test sixes off spinners.

While Stokes retired with 90 out of his 138 sixes against the slow bowlers, Misbah managed to hit 79 sixes against the spinners. Pant, who had salary of Rs 27 crore till the IPL 2026 season, has been traded to Delhi Capitals from Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 15 crore earlier this year ahead of IPL 2027.

Pant’s teammate Devdutt Padikkal called the Indian wicketkeeper’s knock as entertaining and vital for the team. “It’s great entertainment. I think he is one of those batters who you love to watch every day of the week and he produces moments like he did today. He really took the game to them and put them under a lot of pressure,” Padikkal said in the post-match press conference.

“I think that’s the ability that he has. He can win games on his own. And when something like that comes off, it’s always great to watch. I think everyone is really happy to have a player like him in our side,” he said.

Thanks to Pant’s blazing fifty, India managed to post 193 runs in the second innings to set Sri Lanka a target of 372 runs to win the first Test.

Praggnanandhaa produced a big win against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the 8th round of the Sinquefield Cup, playing with the black pieces. The game started with a Ruy Lopez, where both the players developed their pieces normally before taking a more aggressive approach.

Maxime tried to put pressure on Pragg by pushing his kingside pawns. He later sacrificed a knight, but Pragg accepted it and remained calm under pressure.
Pragg gradually took control of the game as his pieces became more active. Maxime tried to create some chances, but Pragg defended well and kept the position under control.

Maxime, eventually, had no way to continue and resigned after 27 moves, giving Pragg a well-fought victory.
He is currently ranked second in the Sinquefield Cup Standings with Wesley So securing the first place. Javokhir Sindarov and Vincent Keymer are currently on 4.5 points, making the final round of the tournament interesting where Wesley will face Sindarov, while Pragg will take on Anish Giri.

This victory over Maxime also helped Pragg become the No. 1 ranked Indian player in the live ratings and World No. 8.

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A Special Railway Magistrate’s court in Jammu has directed police to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations against Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Mithun Manhas over alleged fabrication of his date of birth.

In his order, the magistrate said, “I have perused the application and other material annexed with the application and as per the provisions of BNSS before lodging or registering any cognizable offence by the concerned police, preliminary inquiry has to be conducted.”

The court directed the SHO of Police Station Nowabad, Jammu, to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the matter and submit a report before the court by September 3.

The order was passed following a complaint filed by former Joint Honorary Secretary of the J&K Cricket Association, Sudershan Mehta.

In his complaint, Mehta alleged that Manhas had forged and fabricated his date of birth to gain an advantage while playing junior-level cricket at the national level. He alleged that Manhas had furnished two different dates of birth to secure eligibility for selection in national tournaments under the sub-junior and junior categories.

The complainant further alleged that Manhas had furnished a date of birth different from the one recorded in his school records. According to information received by the complainant through email from Maharaja Hari Singh Agriculture Collegiate (MHAC) School, Nagbani, Jammu, Manhas’ date of birth is recorded as December 9, 1977.

The complainant also alleged that, according to the official website of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), Manhas’ date of birth is October 12, 1979.

Mithun Manhas is the first BCCI president from J&K. He was elected to the post in September last year.

If all goes according to plan, the upcoming Indian Super League is set to begin in October 10, after the FIFA international window. It will be the inaugural season under the club-led model, with the ISL clubs taking responsibility for the commercial rights of the league.

However, the ISL is yet to finalise a broadcast partner. FanCode is currently the only broadcaster to have shown interest. At the same time, the clubs are exploring the possibility of streaming the league on YouTube to expand its visibility if a broadcast deal is not finalised.

Meanwhile, 13 ISL clubs have made the full payment of their participation fees to the AIFF. Newly promoted Diamond Harbour FC, who won the IFL last season, are yet to make their second instalment.

Churchill Brothers, who acquired the ISL rights of Jamshedpur FC and are set to make their debut in the league, have completed the full payment to the AIFF.

However, there are doubts over Diamond Harbour’s participation. The club has been given a deadline of 2pm on Wednesday, August 19, by the AIFF to make the pending payment after missing the previous deadline on August 14.

Following a truncated league last season, the upcoming campaign is expected to begin on October 10, according to sources in the AIFF. Unlike last season, the 2026-27 edition is set to be a full-fledged league and is expected to run until April or May.

The season was initially planned to begin in September, but the absence of a broadcast deal has pushed the start date to October. The league will now begin after the FIFA international window, during which the Indian national team are expected to play another high-profile friendly.

India are scheduled to face five-time world champions Brazil on October 3, while the AIFF is also looking to arrange another fixture against a nation that featured at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to AIFF sources, the federation has formally written to Cape Verde seeking confirmation for a friendly against India during the FIFA window, which runs from September 21 to October 6.

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