In a Test match that was already well in India’s grasp, Rishabh Pant entertained with a fiery, boundary-laden cameo in Bengaluru: here are the numbers behind his record-breaking half-century on a difficult pitch.
It wasn’t unlike anything Rishabh Pant hadn’t done in the past, but it still felt surreal. Off the first ball of the 41st over, he romped down the decaying Bengaluru pitch and absolutely clobbered Suranga Lakmal past the cover fielder. There was no response from any one of the already deflated Sri Lankan fielders as the ball sped to the fence, the shot itself acting as an emphatic expression of his dominance as the knock itself.
Over the course of a wild 31-ball knock, Pant awed the thousands seated inside the Chinnaswamy stadium, and the many more watching on their screens, with a thumping display of aggression that saw him break several long-standing records. The knock had little bearing on the game itself, with India already in cruise control, but the manner in which he went about his blitz on a dusty, turning surface, highlighted how special a talent he is.
Walking in with the team at 116-3, and happy to build on their lead, Pant made his intentions quite clear off the second ball he faced, caring little about the turn by hoisting Praveen Jayawickrama with a clean strike over mid-wicket. After that, it was Pant almost compulsively bashing every ball that came his way. It wasn’t always convincing, but it was all still very good.
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By the time he was done, he quite deservedly eclipsed Kapil Dev, India’s original swashbuckler, to record the fastest fifty by an India batter off just 28 balls. It was also the joint second-fastest fifty in India, bettered only by Shahid Afridi’s onslaught against India at this very ground, and tied with Ian Botham’s 1981 blitz in Delhi.
It was also the fastest fifty by a wicketkeeper in Test cricket, eclipsing Ian Smith’s 34-ball effort from 1990. Brendon McCullum scored a 30-ball fifty against Pakistan in 2014, but he wasn’t keeping wicket then. Among designated India wicketkeepers, MS Dhoni is the next best (36 balls v Pakistan, 2006).
Pant hit a couple of sixes in the course of his knock: he now has 44 sixes in 30 Tests; since his debut (August 2018), it’s the most any batter has hit in the format. Ben Stokes stands second with 43 hits in 34 Tests since. Overall, among wicketkeepers, only Adam Gilchrist, MS Dhoni and Brad Haddin have hit more. He also went past the milestone of 200 fours in his career: since his debut, no other wicketkeeper has hit more.
Earlier in the Test, Pant had put together another breezy cameo, hitting a 26-ball 39. According to statistician Kaustabh Gudipati, it’s the highest strike-rate by an India player in a Test series (min. 100 balls).
Rishabh Pant becomes the FIRST player to record 15+ runs at 150+ strike-rate in both innings of a Test match.
Scores 39(26) followed by 50(31) in this Test.#INDvSL
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) March 13, 2022
For a 24-year-old wicketkeeper 30 Tests into his career, Pant has already stacked up a plethora of notable records and milestones. Looking at his career graph so far, it looks like he’s only getting started.
