Rishabh Pant Beats Kapil Dev's Test Record of Fastest 50 by an Indian
On Sunday, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant knocked a half-century off just 28 balls on the second day of the pink-ball Test against Sri Lanka. In doing so, he broke Kapil Dev’s record of scoring the fastest 50 by an Indian in Test cricket.
Image credit: pia.images.co.uk Rishabh Pant in action for IndiaHe also set a new world record for bagging the quickest 50 by a wicketkeeper-batter in Tests, overshadowing Australia's Ian Smith and former India captain MS Dhoni's individual 34-ball 50s. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a post on Twitter which said, "Rishabh Pant surpasses Kapil Dev to score the fastest 50 by an Indian in Test cricket. It has come off 28 deliveries."
Kapil Dev: Great Indian All-Rounder
Former Indian skipper Kapil Dev scored 50 from 30 balls against Pakistan back in 1982. Kapil’s record is closely followed by Shardul Thakur, who scored a 31-ball half-century in the Oval Test against England in 2021, while former India cricketer Virender Sehwag snagged a 50 off 32 balls against England in Chennai in 2008.
Overall, Rishabh Pant occupies the joint-ninth spot in the list alongside Ian Botham of England, the West Indies' Chris Gayle, EAV Williams of the West Indies, and New Zealand's Colin de Grandhomme. Pant's half-century was the highlight of the second innings of India's second Test match against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru.
Despite being number five in the batting line-up, Pant brought an attack that changed the game. India was stuck at 116/3 but Pant's power-packed deliveries comprising seven fours and two sixes was a saving grace for the team at a time when the Sri Lankan bowlers were dominating with the pink ball. However, his terrific performance stopped at 51 runs, when he was caught and bowled out by left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama in another attempt to throw the ball out of the field. Rishabh Pant joined the club of the fastest recorded 50's in India in Test matches. Shahid Afridi scored 50 in 26 balls vs India in Bengaluru in 2005 and Ian Botham’s 50 came in 28 balls against India in 1981.
The Sri Lankans were left chasing a 350+ target in the fourth innings. Praveen Jayawickrama was the most successful bowler with figures of 3/50 for Sri Lanka while Pant was the highest scorer for India with a 31-ball 50 followed by Captain Rohit Sharma who secured 46 runs. India is currently leading the two-match test series 1-0. They won the first game by an innings and 222 runs.