Published By: Sayan Guha

BGT 2024/25: Pant Lights Up Sydney- Just Shy of His OWN RECORD!

Credit: Cricket.com

Blazing bats, quickfire fifties, and a near-miss for history in Sydney

Rishabh Pant fired up the Sydney Cricket Ground on the second day of the fifth Test, scoring 61 off 33 balls. Faced with a ferocious Australian onslaught, Pant hammered six boundaries and four huge sixes, raising his strike rate to an impressive 184.84. He got his fifty in 29 balls, making it the second-fastest fifty in Indian Test history and the quickest by a visiting batter in Australia.

Pant's heroics kept India alive in the final of a hard-fought series. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at stake, his innings not only injected momentum but also gave fans a fresh story to remember in the India-Australia cricket rivalry.

But where does it rank among the quickest Indian fifties in Tests? Let's take a deeper look at the five quickest fifties by Indians in Test cricket, going down the statistics and context for each.

Rishabh Pant: Bengaluru blitz (2022)

50 off 28 balls | 61 runs (31 balls, 7 fours, 2 sixes, SR 161.29)

Pant unleashed a fantastic counterattack in the second innings against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. Walking in at a critical point, he flipped the game on its head with a blistering fifty off only 28 balls, the quickest by an Indian in Test cricket.

This innings occurred in a pink-ball Test, which is still used to test batters' versatility, but Pant was in his element. His innings helped India set a massive 447-run target and subsequently secure a 238-run victory.

Rishabh Pant: The Sydney show (2025)

50 off 29 balls | 61 runs (33 balls, 6 fours, 4 sixes, SR 184.84)

Pant also has the second-fastest fifty by an Indian, having almost broken his own record in Sydney. His blazing 29-ball fifty came in a pressure cooker situation. With Australia's Pat Cummins and Scott Boland on fire, Pant attacked the opposition, easily breaking boundaries.

He not only raised India's morale, but he also beat batting giants Roy Fredericks and John Brown for the fastest fifty by a visiting batter in Australia.

Kapil Dev: Karachi counter (1982)

50 off 30 balls | 73 runs (53 balls, 12 fours, 1 six, SR 137.73)

The superstar Kapil Dev's 30-ball fifty in Karachi exemplifies his reckless style. India was suffering against PAK's bowlers, but Kapil counterattacked with style. His knock, which included 12 clean boundaries, kept the clock ticking while wickets tumbled around him.

While India ultimately lost the match by an innings and 86 runs, Kapil's knock highlighted his capacity to battle back under difficult circumstances.

Shardul Thakur: Oval heroics (2021)

50 off 31 balls | 57 runs (36 balls, 7 fours, 3 sixes, SR 158.33)

Shardul Thakur made cricket history with a 31-ball fifty at The Oval. Shardul's knock, which came in at 117/6, significantly transformed the game. Faced with England's experienced bowling assault, he hammered seven boundaries and three sixes to save India.

His innings helped India to a competitive total and played a key part in their 157-run triumph, one of their most memorable foreign wins.

Yashasvi Jaiswal: Kanpur carnage (2024)

50 off 31 balls | 72 runs (51 balls, 12 fours, 2 sixes, SR 141.17)

Yashasvi Jaiswal, the youngest player on this list, demonstrated his attacking skills in Kanpur against Bangladesh. His 31-ball fifty came in the first innings, establishing India's domination in the contest. Jaiswal's innings, which included 12 boundaries and two sixes, combined beauty and ferocity.

India cruised to a seven-wicket victory, with Jaiswal's performance cementing his status as a batter to watch in Tests.