Yashasvi Jaiswal broke the record for most Test sixes hit by a player in a calendar year on Saturday (November 23, 2024). The 22-year-old from Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh hit two maximums during his unbeaten knock on Day 2 of the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at Optus Stadium, Perth. (Match Blog | Streaming | More Cricket News)
In the process, the India opener surpassed New Zealand great Brendon McCullum's 33 sixes (in nine matches) in 2014. Jaiswal now has 34 sixes in 12 Test matches this year. Sri Lankan Kamindu Mendis, with 19 in seven matches, is second in the 2024 list. India's Shubman Gill is third with 18 in 10 matches. He missed the Perth Test due to an injury.
Here's the list of most Test sixes (minimum 20) in a calendar year
| Player | Country | No. of sixes | Year |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | India | 34* | 2024 |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 33 | 2014 |
| Ben Stokes | England | 26 | 2022 |
| Adam Gilchrist | Australia | 22 | 2005 |
| Virender Sehwag | India | 22 | 2008 |
| Andrew Flintoff | England | 21 | 2004 |
| Ben Stokes | England | 21 | 2016 |
| Rishabh Pant | India | 21 | 2022 |
| Matthew Hayden | Australia | 20 | 2001 |
| Matthew Hayden | Australia | 20 | 2003 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq | Pakistan | 20 | 2015 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 20 | 2019 |
At the close of play on Day 2, Jaiswal was on 90 runs off 193 balls and was involved in an unbeaten first-wicket stand of 172 runs with KL Rahul (62 off 153). This is India's second-highest opening stand in Australia, after 191 by Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth in Sydney in 1986.
The century stand between KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal is also India's first 100-run Test opening partnership in Australia in two decades. They are the sixth Indian pair to do so for the first wicket Down Under, after 123 by Akash Chopra and Virender Sehwag in 2024.
Full list of 100-run opening stands for India in Australia
Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth - 191 in Sydney, 1986
Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan - 165 in Melbourne, 1981
Akash Chopra and Virender Sehwag - 141 in Melbourne, 2003
Vinoo Mankad and Chandu Sarwate - 124 in Melbourne, 1948
Akash Chopra and Virender Sehwag - 123 in Sydney, 2004
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul - 172 not out in Perth, 2024.
Earlier in the day, Jasprit Bumrah completed his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests with the wicket of Alex Carey. India's stand-in captain had the Aussie wicket-keeper caught behind off the very first delivery of the day.
India however ran into a defiant final-wicket stand between Mitchell Starc (26 off 112) and Josh Hazlewood (7 off 31) with the duo absorbing 110 balls for 25 runs. Debutant Harshit Rana eventually broke the stand with the wicket of Starc, a skier caught by Rishabh Pant in the 52nd over.
Having earned a crucial 46-run first innings lead, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul got into the act and the pair hardly played a false stroke during their 346-ball stay in the middle on the second day. Indian batters will look to post a mammoth second innings total and give the bowlers enough time to dismiss the hosts. The lead was 218 runs without losing a wicket.
