Tendulkar Praises Pant's 'Incredible' Performance Against Australia
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Sydney, Jan 4 (NationPress) After yet another disappointing start from the Indian top order, Rishabh Pant stepped onto the field on Day 2 of the concluding Test match with the team struggling at 59/3. He proceeded to achieve the quickest fifty by a visiting batsman on Australian turf. Pant's explosive innings of 61 runs off 33 balls, featuring six fours and four sixes, was hailed as truly extraordinary by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar shared his thoughts on X, saying, “On a wicket where most batters have struggled with a strike rate of 50 or lower, @RishabhPant17's performance at a strike rate of 184 is genuinely remarkable. He has unsettled Australia from the very first ball. Watching him play is always a delight. What an influential innings!”
Pant reached his fifty in just 29 balls, hitting a six off Mitchell Starc. This achievement surpassed the previous records of 33 balls held by England's John Brown (Melbourne 1895) and West Indies' Roy Fredericks (Perth 1975). Additionally, it marked the second-fastest half-century by an Indian in a Test match.
The record for the fastest half-century by an Indian batter in Test history also belongs to Pant, who scored a stunning 28-ball fifty against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru in 2022.
Pant's innings ultimately concluded when Australia captain Pat Cummins caught an outside edge, with Alex Carey taking the catch behind the stumps. Pant's score of 61 off 33 was pivotal, and he formed a vital 46-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, pushing India's total past 100 runs.
India concluded the day at 141/6 and will look to Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who remained not out at stumps, to contribute additional runs before the team defends what appears to be a modest total.
With the series currently favoring the visitors at 2-1, the Indian bowling lineup must be at its best in the final innings if they wish to secure the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
