Rishabh Pant surpasses Kapil Dev to score fastest 50 an Indian in Test cricket
On Day 2 of the ongoing Pink-ball Test against Sri Lanka, Rishabh Pant enthralled the audience with his outstanding 50 in just 28 balls. Doing so, Pant broke the 1982 record of Kapil Dev becoming the fastest Indian to score a 50 in Test cricket. Kapil Dev had smashed 50 runs in just 30 balls while playing against Pakan in Karachi.
What makes Pant’s half-century even more special is the fact that he smashed 7 boundaries and 2 sixes at a point in the game when the Sri Lankan bowlers were dominating with the pink ball. In a bid to hit another one into the stands, Pant got out right after he completed his fifty at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
FIFTY!@RishabhPant17 surpasses Kapil Dev to score the fastest 50 an Indian in Test cricket. It has come off 28 deliveries.
Take a bow, Rishabh 👏💪💥
Live – https://t.co/t74OLq7xoO #INDvSL @Paytm pic.twitter.com/YcpJf2sp2H
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 13, 2022
Pant also ranks third in the l of the fastest recorded 50 in India in Tests, trailing Shahid Afridi who scored a half ton in 26 balls vs India in Bengaluru in 2005 and Ian Botham’s 50 in 28 balls vs Ind in 1981.
India were 199 for 5 in their second innings at dinner break after dismissing Sri Lanka for 109 on day two of the second Test on Sunday. At the break, Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja were batting on 18 and 10 respectively to give India an overall lead of 342 runs.
Pant top-scored for India with a 31-ball 50 while captain Rohit Sharma contributed 46. For Sri Lanka, Praveen Jayawickrama was the most successful bowler with figures of 3/50.
In reply to India’s first innings total of 252, Sri Lanka resumed at 86 for six but their innings lasted for just 5.5 overs on Sunday, losing Lasith Embuldeniya (1), Suranga Lakmal (5), Niroshan Dickwella (21) and Vishwa Fernando (8) with the addition of just 23 runs.
India are leading the two-match Test series 1-0 after winning the first game an innings and 222 runs.
