4 players to hit the first two balls of their innings for a six in Test history ft. Rohit Sharma

While Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20 internationals after the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, his aggressive style of play at the top remains the same, irrespective of the format that he plays in. Rohit etched his name into a rare and elite list during his 11-ball 23 cameo against Bangladesh in the ongoing second Test at Kanpur.

Batters taking the attack to the opposition in the longer format from the word go is a rare sight but a pleasing one to watch nonetheless.

In a format where batters often take their time to settle in and get their eyes set early on, there have been instances of them going after the bowlers right from the moment they face their very first ball of an innings.

In the history of Test cricket, there have been only four such instances where batters have smashed sixes off the first two balls of their innings. This list is dominated by Indians, with three out of the four being Indian players.

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#4 Foffie Williams, England vs West Indies, 1st Test 1948

West Indian batter Foffie Williams was the first player in history to hit two sixes off the first two balls that he faced in an innings in this format, creating the record way back in 1948.

He achieved this feat during the first Test that was played between England and West Indies at Bridgetown in 1948. Williams took on England's legendary Jim Laker in the second innings, where he smashed all six balls of the over to the boundary.

This also included two sixes off the first two deliveries. He went on to score 72 runs in total, which also remains his highest Test score.

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#3 Sachin Tendulkar, India vs Australia, 1st Test 2013

In 2013, India's superstar batter Sachin Tendulkar became the second player to achieve this feat when Australia toured India in 2013 for a four-match series in the longest format.

In the first match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Australia put up a total of 380 batting first. In response, India got to 572 runs. In the second innings, Australia were bundled out for just 241 runs, which meant that India needed just 50 runs to win the game.

However, the hosts lost Murali Vijay and Virender Sehwag early in the chase. Sachin Tendulkar walked out to bat with India needing only 14 runs to win. Facing Nathan Lyon, Tendulkar slammed two sixes off the first two deliveries that he faced.

India went on to win the game and take a 1-0 lead as well.

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#2 Umesh Yadav, India vs South Africa, 3rd Test 2019

An unexpected name on this list is Indian pacer Umesh Yadav. Apart from his fast bowling, Umesh is known for his ability to tonk the ball hard over the boundary and score some useful runs.

During the third match of the home series against South Africa at Ranchi in 2019, Umesh showed his ability to hit the big shots with ease. He walked in to bat on the second day and took no time to go after the bowling, smashing debutant spinner George Linde for two sixes off the very first two deliveries he faced.

Umesh was on song with the ball as he went to score a blistering 10-ball 31-run knock in that innings.

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#1 Rohit Sharma, India vs Bangladesh, 2nd Test 2024

The most recent player to join this elite list is none other than India's Test captain Rohit Sharma. India's second fixture against Bangladesh at Kanpur has been disappointing with no play possible on two days.

However, the players took to the field for some action with the weather being kind enough on the fourth day. After bowling Bangladesh out for 233 in the first innings, India made their intentions clear with a fiery start to their innings, with skipper Rohit going after the bowling right from the start.

Facing Khaled Ahmed, Rohit was on the charge, smashing him for two sixes off his first two deliveries in the second over. Although he was then dismissed for 23 off 11, he joined the elite list with this cameo.