On Day 2 of the third and final Test match against New Zealand, Rishabh Pant was back to his best, leading India out of difficulty. Pant used his signature flair and confidence to thrash the New Zealand bowlers on a steamy Saturday morning in Mumbai. In a fast-paced morning practice, Pant and Shubman Gill guided India out of difficulty while putting pressure back on New Zealand.
Against New Zealand, Rishabh Pant reached the fifty-run mark in just 36 deliveries, setting a new Indian record. Pant hit two sixes and seven boundaries. Pant shattered the record held by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who in the second Test of this series had scored a fifty off of forty-one balls in Pune.
In addition, Rishabh Pant's 28-ball Test fifty against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru in 2022 is the fastest by an Indian batter. The all-time record is 21 balls against Australia in 2014 in Abu Dhabi, held by former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
On the morning of Day 2, India scored nearly six runs each over as Gill and Pant controlled the New Zealand attack. After India's late collapse on Day 1, the visiting team had the upper hand and won the series by stunning India 2-0, but Pant and Gill made sure that India was not put under any further strain. Despite their regard for the rules, both players did not hesitate to toss away the bad balls.
Mark Chapman placed Shubman Gill, who also reached his fifty on the morning of Day 2, down on forty-five. Pant, on the other hand, stepped down the track to easily clear the spinners during a chanceless innings. The two young batters' approach was well received by the strong crowd on Saturday morning.
However, Rishabh Pant got out after scoring 60 runs off 59 balls. He played a crucial knock before Ish Sodhi trapped him in front of the wickets and ending their 96-run stand.
