Rishabh Pant on Saturday added another feather to his glorious cap. Batting on the day of the Pink Test against Sri Lanka, the wicketkeeper-batter smashed a 28-ball half-century, setting the record of fastest fifty by an Indian batter in the longest format of the game.
Pant reached this milestone in the 42nd over of India’s second innings with the help of a cracking boundary off Praveen Jayawickrama. With this feat, he surpassed former India captain Kapil Dev’s 40-year-old record. The legendary all-rounder had smashed a 40-ball half century in 1982 against Pakistan in Karachi. (IND vs SL, 2nd Test, Day 2 Live Updates)
Batting at no. 7, Kapil scored a fifty off 30 balls and ended up scoring 73 off 53 deliveries. However, India lost that game by an innings and 86 runs.
Fastest fifties by Indians in Test cricket:
| Player Name | No. of deliveries played | Opposition | Venue | Year |
| Rishabh Pant | 28 | Sri Lanka | Bengaluru | 2022 |
| Kapil Dev | 30 | Pakistan | Karachi | 1982 |
| Shardul Thakur | 31 | England | London Oval | 2021 |
| Virender Sehwag | 31 | England | Chennai | 2008 |
Pant’s fifty is now the joint-second fastest on Indian soil in Test cricket. He equalled the tally of England cricket great Ian Botham who had scored a fifty in as many deliveries back in 1981. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi tops the chart with a 26-ball half-century scored in 2005.
ALSO READ | PAK vs AUS: Rizwan Asks Steve Smith Whether Pakistan Should Take DRS, Babar Azam Left in Splits – WATCH
The 24-year-old walked out to bat after India lost Hanuma Vihari in the post-tea session. After the dismissal of Virat Kohli, Pant teamed up with Shreyas Iyer and stitched a 45-run stand for the fifth wicket. The former smashed 7 boundaries and 2 sixes to get his 9th half-century in Test cricket.
But three balls after setting a new Indian batting record, Pant played a mistimed shot and ended up getting caught Jayawickrama near cover.
Get all the latest updates on Cricket News, Cricket Photos, Cricket Videos, IPL Auction 2022 and Cricket Scores here