Rishabh Pant turned India's troubleshooter and cracked a blistering knock when the chips were down on Day 2 of the fifth Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on January 4. Even batting great Sachin Tendulkar was couldn't stop himself from praising Rishabh Pant's explosive innings in Sydney Test. Pant delivered an incredible counter-attacking innings, scoring 61 runs off just 33 balls, leaving the Australian bowlers stunned.
Rishabh Pant's batting bravado in Sydney Test
India, after a promising start fueled by Yashasvi Jaiswal's blitzkrieg, were rocked by Scott Boland, who dismissed both the openers. Virat Kohli, once again, fell victim to Boland, edging a delivery outside the off-stump, bringing Pant to the crease. Undeterred, the Indian wicketkeeper was in his element right from the outset. He charged down the pitch and launched a massive six off the very first ball he faced from Boland.
Pant's onslaught continued unabated, leaving the crowd on the edge of their seats with his aggressive strokeplay. He unleashed two consecutive sixes off Mitchell Starc to reach his fifty in a breathtaking 29 balls, narrowly missing out on breaking his own record for the fastest fifty by an Indian batter.
Sachin Tendulkar lauds Rishabh Pant's counter-attacking knock
Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar showered praise on Pant's fiery knock, highlighting his exceptional strike rate of 184. Tendulkar took to X and wrote that Pant rattled the Australian bowlers from the very first ball, asserting that watching the 27-year-old bat is always an exhilarating spectacle.
"On a wicket where majority of the batters have batted at a SR of 50 or less, @RishabhPant17's knock with a SR of 184 is truly remarkable. He has rattled Australia from ball one. It is always entertaining to watch him bat. What an impactful innings!," Tendulkar wrote on X.
Pant cracked his fifty in just 29 balls, making him the second fastest by an Indian batter in Test cricket. It was his knock which propelled India to 141/6, giving them a 145-run lead over Australia.
Pant also etched his name in the record books. He smashed the second fastest Test fifty by an Indian batter riding on six fours and three sixes, narrowly missing his previous record of a 28-ball fifty against Sri Lanka in 2022.
Meanwhile, his fifty was the fastest by a visiting batter in Australia, surpassing the previous record of 33 balls held by England's John Brown (1895) and Roy Fredericks (1975).
Indian batters with fastest Test fifties:
1) Rishabh Pant - 28 balls vs Sri Lanka, 2022
2) Rishabh Pant - 29 balls vs Australia, 2025
3) Kapil Dev - 30 balls vs Pakistan, 1982
4) Shardul Thakur - 31 balls vs England, 2021
5) Yashasvi Jaiswal - 31 balls vs Bangladesh, 2024