STAT OF THE DAY: Rishabh Pant hits fastest Test fifty in Australia visiting player, breaks 50-year record | Cricket News
India’s swashbuckling wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant delivered a match-defining half-century, breaking the record for the fastest Test fifty a visiting batter in Australia during Day 2 of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney on Saturday.
Walking in at No. 5 after India were reduced to 59 for three following the four-run lead from the first-innings, Pant shed the inhibitions from the previous knock and pressed on the accelerator from ball one, smashing Scott Boland for a six over wide long-on. Pant then blitzed his way to a fifty in only 29 deliveries and broke numerous records along the way.
Pant’s fifty was the second-fastest fifty in Tests in Australia, behind David Warner’s 17-ball half-century against Pakan at the same venue in 2017. Pant also set a new record for the quickest fifty a visiting batter, breaking a 50-year old half-century West Indies’ Roy Fredericks in 33 balls at Perth in 1975. England’s John Brown had previously held the record for his 34-ball fifty in the Timeless Test, way back in 1895.
Pant now holds the record for the two fastest fifties Indians in Tests, following his 28-ball half-century against Sri Lanka in 2022.
Fastest Test fifties visiting batters in Australia
29 balls – Rishabh Pant (IND), 2025 – Sydney33 balls – Roy Fredericks (WI), 1975 – Perth34 balls – John Brown (ENG), 1895 – Melbourne34 balls – Chris Gayle (WI), 2009 – Perth
In Rishabh Pant’s 33-ball, 61-run innings:
6 fours 4 sixes
And here’s every one of those boundaries #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Hc3Sx66DSr
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 4, 2025
Sixes record
The southpaw Pant made an uncharacteric 40 off 98 balls in the first innings smashed three sixes this time around, elevating him to second on the World Test Championship charts alongside Rohit Sharma with 56 maximums. Pant also surpassed Vivian Richards and Chris Gayle with his 13th Test six in Australia, the highest among all visiting batters Down Under. He eventually holed out on 61 off 33 balls on the back of six fours anf four sixes.
Pant also broke into the top-4 among Indian batters on the six-hitting charts, with only Virender Sehwag (90), Rohit (89), and MS Dhoni (78) ahead of him.
Most Test sixes in Australia (visitors)13* – Pant12 = Chris Gayle, Viv Richards11 – S Broad10 = Clive Lloyd, Rohit Sharma
Discover the Benefits of Our Subscription!
Stay informed with access to our award-winning journalism.
Avoid misinformation with trusted, accurate reporting.
Make smarter decisions with insights that matter.
Choose your subscription package
