Rishabh Pant Poised to Challenge Sehwag’s Iconic India Record in Upcoming South Africa Tests

India and South Africa are set to lock horns once again when their two-Test series begins on November 14, forming part of the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

The matches will be held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, as both teams aim to consolidate their WTC standings — India chasing top-tier points and South Africa defending their world champions’ reputation.

Series Overview

India come into the contest in red-hot form, having drawn 2-2 in England and blanked the West Indies 2-0 earlier in the cycle. Captain Shubman Gill has been India’s standout performer, scoring five centuries in seven Tests this year at an average nearing 79.

The return of Rishabh Pant strengthens India’s middle order, while Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul add solidity and experience. The bowling unit looks well-rounded — Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj spearhead the pace attack, and Ravindra Jadeja alongside Kuldeep Yadav are expected to thrive on spin-friendly surfaces.

South Africa, led by Temba Bavuma, remain formidable opponents, armed with a pace-heavy attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Marco Jansen. India’s dominant home record gives them the edge, but the Proteas’ ability to exploit any movement could make for a tightly contested series.

Key Indian Records To Watch

Rishabh Pant needs just 2 sixes to surpass Virender Sehwag’s tally of 91 and become the Indian batter with the most sixes in Test history.

Shubman Gill is 161 runs away from reaching 3,000 Test runs, which would make him the second-fastest Indian to the mark after Sehwag (55 innings).

Another century for Gill would also make him the Indian with the most Test hundreds in a single calendar year.

With 4 more sixes, Gill will join an elite list of Indian batters with 50+ Test sixes, which includes Sehwag, Pant, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, and Kapil Dev.

KL Rahul requires 15 runs to reach the 4,000-run milestone in Test cricket.

Ravindra Jadeja needs 10 runs to become only the fourth player in history — after Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, and Daniel Vettori — to achieve the double of 4,000 runs and 300+ wickets in Tests.

Jadeja also needs 12 wickets to become the fourth-fastest Indian to reach 350 Test wickets, a record currently held by R. Ashwin (66 matches).

Kuldeep Yadav is 12 wickets short of completing 350 international wickets across formats.