IND vs AUS 5th Test: Rishabh Pant Floors Australia With Counter Punch, Scores Second Fastest Fifty by Indian Batter

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Rishabh Pant smashed the second fastest fifty by an Indian during the second innings of the fifth Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney on Saturday (January 4).

Pant, who opened his account with a six off the first ball, reached his half-century off 29 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes, coming close to his previous record, which a fifty in 28 balls against Sri Lanka in 2022.

Walking into bat at number five following the dismissal of Virat Kohli, Pant did not wait to get his eye in and danced down the track to hit Scott Boland for a maximum off the very first ball. The wicketkeeper-batter had copped some blows in indifferent knock in the first innings.

Pant, however, arrived with different intentions in the second innings, taking the attack to the Australian bowlers as he smashed Mitchell Starc for two maximums as well as Boland and Beau Webster for a six each in his quickfire innings. Here is a look at the fastest fifties by Indians in Tests:

Fastest Fifty by Indian batter in Test cricket

• 28 balls by Rishabh Pant vs Sri Lanka in Bengaluru (2022)
• 29 balls by Rishabh Pant vs Australia in Sydney (2025)
• 30 balls by Kapil Dev vs Pakistan in Karachi (1982)
• 31 balls by Shardul Thakur vs England in The Oval, London (2021)
• 31 balls by Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Bangladesh in Kanpur (2024)

Before Pant arrived at the crease in the final session of day 2 of the Sydney Test, India were in a spot of bother at 59/3 losing Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Kohli. The Indian wicketkeeper shared a small stand with Shubman Gill before another partnership with Ravindra Jadeja to take India well past a 100.

Pant fell for 61 off 33 balls to Pat Cummins in the 23rd over as India took their lead to 132 with Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy at the crease. Pant's knock is the fastest fifty by a visiting batter in Australia, bettering England's John Brown (1895) and Roy Fredericks (1975), previously held record of 33 balls.