Pant smashes second-fastest Test half-century by an Indian
Rishabh Pant scripts history with breathtaking fifty in SCG Test
04 Jan 2025
Rishabh Pant left an indelible mark in the fifth Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), by scoring the second-fastest half-century by an Indian.
The wicket-keeper batter achieved the milestone during India's second innings on Saturday, January 4.
Pant's explosive half-century came off just 29 balls. This comes close to his own record of a half-century off 28 balls against Sri Lanka in 2022.
Pant's aggressive start after Kohli's dismissal
Early aggression
Pant walked in at number five, after the dismissal of Virat Kohli. He didn't take time to settle down and immediately showed his aggressive batting.
Pant hit a six off the first ball he faced from Scott Boland, signaling his intent to dominate the Australian bowlers.
This was a stark contrast to his first innings performance where he had struggled against Australia's bowling attack.
Pant's onslaught against Australian bowlers
Dominating performance
In the second innings, Pant maintained his aggressive approach against the Australian bowlers.
He hit Mitchell Starc for two sixes and also smashed Boland and Beau Webster for a six each in his rapid innings.
This display of dominance underscored Pant's intent to take control of the game and put pressure on Australia's bowling attack.
His performance has been instrumental in India's batting strategy during this crucial Test match.
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Fact
As per ESPNcricinfo, Pant also recorded the fastest Test fifty by a visiting batter in Australia. Only former Australian opener David Warner has scored a faster Test half-century in the nation. He accomplished the milestone off just 23 balls versus Pakistan at the SCG in 2017.
3,000 Test runs loading for Pant
Career
Pant perished for 61 off 33 balls as he smoked six fours and four maximums.
This was his only fifty in BGT 2024-25 as he finished the series with 255 runs at 28.33.
Overall, Pant has raced to 2,948 runs from 43 matches at 42.11 (50s: 15, 100: 6).
The southpaw has managed 879 runs in 12 matches against Australia at 46.26 (50s: 3, 100: 1).
All of his runs against the Aussies have come Down Under.