Rishabh Pant sets new record with breathtaking half-century versus NZ
Rishabh Pant has broken the Indian record for the fastest Test fifty against New Zealand. He accomplished the milestone on Day 2 of the ongoing third and final Test at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. 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. Here are further details.
Pant and Gill dominate New Zealand attack
On Day 2 of the Mumbai Test, India kept their scoring rate close to six runs per over. Both Pant and Shubman Gill decimated the New Zealand attack, easing some pressure off the Indian side. Despite a late collapse on Day 1 which saw India's score plummet from 78/1 to 84/4 in just 15 minutes, Pant and Gill's 96-run stand steadied the innings. Ish Sodhi ended the partnership by trapping Pant lbw.
Pant's aggressive batting style on display
Pant's aggressive batting came to the fore as he smashed eight boundaries and two sixes during the course of his knock. This isn't the first time Pant has set such a record. 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.
Here are his Test stats
Pant ended up scoring 60 off 59 balls. Playing his 38th Test match, Pant has now raced to 2,629 runs at an average of 43.81. He is India's top run-scorer in the ongoing series with 197 runs at 39.40. Meanwhile, the southpaw overall has six tons and 13 fifties under his belt. Against NZ, he owns 302 runs at 27.45 (50s: 2).
