Even though the Test format is not known to be aggressive like T20s, a few batsmen unleash their attacking strokes on the field.
Batters like Virender Sehwag, Adam Gilchrist, and Andrew Flintoff had the knack for sending the red cherry flying over the ropes in their days. Now, modern-day power-hitters like Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Ben Stokes are carrying forward the legacy.
These batters don’t hold themselves back from hammering the bad balls into the stands, putting the opposition on the back foot. In that process, they also barge into the list of batters hitting the most sixes in a particular year.
On that note, here we’ll look at the top 10 instances of batters with the most sixes in a calendar year in Tests. You can find the teamwise record in this blog.
Most Test Sixes by a Batter in a Calendar Year
| Player | Year | Inns | 6s | 4s | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yashasvi Jaiswal (IND) | 2024 | 29 | 36 | 168 | 1478 |
| Brendon McCullum (NZ) | 2014 | 16 | 33 | 131 | 1164 |
| Ben Stokes (ENG) | 2022 | 26 | 26 | 94 | 870 |
| Rishabh Pant (IND) | 2025 | 13 | 26 | 61 | 629 |
| Adam Gilchrist (AUS) | 2005 | 22 | 22 | 100 | 836 |
| Virender Sehwag (IND) | 2008 | 27 | 22 | 181 | 1462 |
| Andrew Flintoff (ENG) | 2004 | 19 | 21 | 110 | 898 |
| Ben Stokes (ENG) | 2016 | 21 | 21 | 110 | 904 |
| Rishabh Pant (IND) | 2022 | 12 | 21 | 75 | 680 |
| Kamindu Mendis (SL) | 2024 | 16 | 21 | 108 | 1049 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 2001 | 25 | 20 | 169 | 1391 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 2003 | 21 | 20 | 156 | 1312 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq (PAK) | 2015 | 14 | 20 | 56 | 616 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 2019 | 6 | 20 | 65 | 556 |
| Andrew Flintoff (ENG) | 2003 | 14 | 19 | 75 | 566 |
Key Insights
33: Brendon McCullum holds the record for smashing the most sixes in a calendar year in Tests. The former Kiwi batter, who didn’t shy away from hitting big hits, slammed 33 sixes in just 16 innings in 2014.
Ben Stokes did come close to McCullum’s tally in 2022 but fell short by 7 sixes. And don’t be surprised if someone breaches McCullum’s record in the near future.
2: Stokes and Mattew Hayden are the only 2 batters who have hit 20 or more sixes in 2 calendar years.
50: There are over 50 instances of batters hitting 15 or more sixes in a particular year, with most of them coming after the turn of this century.
6: India’s formidable opener, Rohit Sharma, took only 6 innings to smash 20 Test sixes in 2019. This is the least number of innings taken among the batters with 20+ sixes in a single year.
