AUS vs IND: Rishabh Pant Smashes His Second-Fastest Test Fifty in Just 29 Balls Against Australia

During the fifth test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday, Rishabh Pant really demonstrated his batting skills against Australia in an important second innings. Pant hit six boundaries and three strikingly large sixes, making a very good 61 runs off just 33 balls with above 150 plus strike rate. Pant scored his second-fastest fifty in only 29 balls in tests. It was an amazing performance by an Indian wicketkeeper-batsman.

Now, Pant came very close to his personal best of a 50 in just 28 balls in 2022 against Sri Lanka. He played very strong and bold cricket out there. Also, he managed to score the quickest Test 50 ever hit by a visiting player in Australia, doing it faster than the 33-ball fifties from England's John Brown in 1895, and Roy Fredericks from the West Indies in 1975.

Walking in after Virat Kohli's dismissal, Pant started his innings with his first ball sent flying for a six off Scott Boland. Pant’s fearless strokes, especially against Boland and Beau Webster, kept the Australian bowlers under constant pressure.

Top 5 Fastest Fifties by Indian Batters in Test Cricket History

Critics who doubted Pant's choice of shots before stopped talking because, in the second innings, he decided to move forward and attack the bowlers, which actually turned out well and helped India increase their lead by over 100 runs. His aggressive play in that innings was significantly different than the calm 40 off 98 balls he scored in the first innings.

Pant was extremely close to beating his own record for the quickest test fifty by an Indian because he had 47 runs from only 23 balls, but then he needed six more balls just to score three more runs. Even though it took him a bit longer, his batting turned out to be revolutionary and clearly showed how he can make a difference in a match.

Here are the innings highlights of the Rishabh Pant

THE INNINGS HIGHLIGHTS OF RISHABH PANT 💪

- What a knock, one to remember in BGT history. pic.twitter.com/jrIS9F6BDf

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 4, 2025

Rishabh Pant's amazing batting showed why he's very thrilling in cricket these days, but then, when he attempted to strike a big ball from Pat Cummins, he accidentally sent it straight to Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey, and that was the end of his time on the field. Even though it was a disappointment for the team when Pant had to go, his powerful hitting had already kicked the game into gear for India.

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