Rishabh Pant scores twin fifties in Wankhede Test: Stats
Albeit in a losing cause, Rishabh Pant scored a vital half-century for India in the fourth innings of the third and final Test against New Zealand at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Pant, whose 50 came off just 48 deliveries, eventually departed for a 64. He smoked nine fours and a six. This comes after he displayed his skills earlier by scoring a quick-fire 60 in India's first innings.
Pant's performance crucial amid top-order collapse
Pant's innings was all the more important considering how precarious the Indian team was. Early wickets of top-order batters Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli had left India reeling at 29/5. The team was chasing a target of 147 runs to win the Mumbai Test. Though Pant led India's fight, lack of support from the other batters meant India were folded for 121. Pant eventually fell to Ajaz Patel.
Pant and Jadeja's partnership steadies India
As the match progressed, Pant witnessed his teammates Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan walk back. However, he found an able ally in Ravindra Jadeja with whom he stitched a 42-run partnership. During this phase of the game, Pant was the chief run-scorer. He narrowly escaped an LBW decision in the 12th over which New Zealand opted not to review, adding another twist to the match.
Twin fifties for Pant
Pant backed him 60 off 59 balls from the first innings with a 57-ball 64. Playing his 38th Test match, Pant has now raced to 2,693 runs at 44.14. Meanwhile, the southpaw overall has six tons and 14 fifties under his belt. Against NZ, he owns 366 runs at 30.50 (50s: 3). Pant also went past 1,000 Test runs at home (1,061 at 55.84).
Pant scripted history vs NZ
Earlier in the match, Pant broke the Indian record for the fastest Test fifty against New Zealand. The wicketkeeper-batter brought up his half-century in a mere 36 deliveries, bettering Yashasvi Jaiswal's record of a 41-ball 50 set earlier in this series. He also holds the record for the fastest Test 50 by an Indian batter overall, a record he set in just 28 balls against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru in 2022.
How did the game pan out?
India bowled out NZ for 235 runs on the opening day. Will Young and Daryl Mitchell recorded half-centuries. The hosts made a solid response and finished at 263/10 thanks to fifties from Shubman Gill and Pant. Ravindra Jadeja's second fifer of the game meant NZ were folded for 174 in their second outing. India struggled while chasing 147 and were eventually folded for 121.
