Rishabh Pant Nears 100 Sixes as India Meets Sri Lanka’s New Coach Gary Kirsten

India will tour Sri Lanka for a two‑test series that begins on 15 August 2026, with a three‑day warm‑up match scheduled from 7 August. The series will be played in Colombo, with the second test slated for 23 August.

Indian wicket‑keeper‑batsman Rishabh Pant is three sixes away from becoming the first Indian and the fourth player worldwide to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket. He has struck 97 sixes in 49 Tests, a record that would place him ahead of former Indian greats such as Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni.

Sri Lanka has appointed former India head coach Gary Kirsten as its new test coach. Kirsten, who led India to the 2011 World Cup triumph and a period as the world’s number‑one Test side, brings deep knowledge of Indian players and conditions. His father, Noel Kirsten, was a pitch curator in Cape Town. The coaching change adds a strategic dimension to the upcoming contests between the two sides.