The art of scoring tough runs: how Rishabh Pant thrives where others merely survive

There is a particular kind of batting that separates the very good from the truly special: the ability to score runs when conditions make survival itself a struggle. It is an art form, and few practise it quite like Rishabh Pant. His counter-attacking 66 on a treacherous, turning surface in the Galle Test was the latest masterclass in the craft — a knock that transformed the game precisely because he refused to simply hang on.

While others around him grafted and perished, Pant did what he has done throughout his remarkable Test career: he changed the pressure of the contest, scoring tough runs when they were worth their weight in gold.

The situation in Galle

The context of Pant's innings underlined its value. India had slipped in their second innings, losing five wickets before reaching 100 as the ball turned sharply and batting grew increasingly difficult on a deteriorating pitch.

This was no flat deck on which a batter could play through the line with impunity. Several of India's big names had already returned to the pavilion, and the hosts sensed an opportunity to keep the target within reach. India needed someone to wrest back the initiative — and that man was Pant.

Attack as the best defence

Pant's response was to counter-attack. His 66 came from just 69 deliveries at a strike rate of over 95, an audacious tempo on a surface where fluent scoring seemed almost impossible for everyone else.

By taking the attack to the Sri Lankan bowlers, he flipped the equation entirely, putting pressure back on a bowling unit that had been in the ascendancy. It was a demonstration of his core philosophy: that on the toughest pitches, aggression can be the most effective form of defence, disrupting a bowler's rhythm and lengths.

The record that underlined his power

The innings also delivered a slice of history. During his knock, Pant struck two sixes, the second of which took him to 100 sixes in Test cricket — making him the fastest batter ever to reach the landmark.

He got there in just 89 innings, comfortably eclipsing the previous benchmark set by Adam Gilchrist. He now sits level with Gilchrist on 100 Test sixes, behind only Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, underlining the extraordinary and unusual power he brings to the longest format.

The hidden foundation of defence

Yet to view Pant purely as a maverick six-hitter is to fundamentally misunderstand him. As Sanjay Manjrekar has astutely observed, Pant's Test success is built on a rock-solid defensive game that often goes unappreciated.

Manjrekar noted that, contrary to popular perception, you will rarely see Pant beaten on defence, and that his success in the longest format stems precisely from his ability to play out tough phases. It is this combination — a watertight defence married to explosive attacking intent — that allows him to pick the right moments to counter, rather than simply slogging.

A pattern across his career

The Galle knock was far from a one-off; it is a defining feature of Pant's career. He has repeatedly produced his best in the most demanding circumstances, from his counter-attacking century in Cape Town to rescue India, to his blazing efforts in Australia and his prolific tour of England in 2025.

Indeed, six of his eight Test hundreds have come in Australia, England and South Africa — the toughest away conditions in world cricket. To average close to 44 as a specialist wicketkeeper, in an era of deep bowling attacks and result-oriented pitches, speaks to a genius for turning difficult situations to his advantage.

Silencing the doubters

The performance was also a timely riposte to his critics. Pressure had been building around Pant following a poor two-Test home series against South Africa in November 2025, where he managed scores of 27, 2, 7 and 13.

But that lean run came amid a collective batting failure, and using it to build a narrative that Pant had become a liability ignored the bigger picture. His recent returns — 81 against Afghanistan, followed by 39 and 66 in Galle — have reaffirmed his status, giving him two fifty-plus scores in his last three Test innings.

A different beast at No. 5

Batting at No. 5, Pant appears to have found a role that perfectly suits his method. The position often brings him to the crease in precisely the kind of high-pressure, wickets-down situations in which he thrives.

It allows him to assess the state of the game and then impose himself, using his rare ability to score quickly to shift momentum decisively. In Galle, his second-innings contribution was a major reason India were able to set such a daunting target of 372, a total that ultimately put the match beyond Sri Lanka's reach.

The final word

Rishabh Pant's 66 in Galle was a perfect encapsulation of one of cricket's most valuable and under-appreciated skills. On a pitch where runs were desperately hard to come by, he did not merely survive; he scored, and he scored quickly, changing the entire complexion of the match. Behind the spectacular sixes lies a deep well of technical solidity and game awareness. It is this blend that makes him a genuine match-winner — a master of the art of scoring tough runs.