Top 5 fastest fifties by an Indian in Test history ft. Yashasvi Jaiswal
Indian opening batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma smashed the Bangladesh bowlers all around Green Park in Kanpur on Monday, September 30. In response to Bangladesh's 233-run total, the duo set the momentum with their explosive approach to bring up the team's fastest-ever Test fifty off 18 balls.
The likes of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul continued the terrific momentum as India broke multiple records on Day 2 of the second Test. Notably, Kohli also became the second Indian to reach the milestone of 27,000 runs in international cricket.
Jaiswal emerged as the top contributor with his 51-ball 72-run knock and entered the coveted list of Indian players to record fastest Test fifties. On that note, let's take a look at the five fastest fifties by an Indian in the longest format.
#5 Virender Sehwag - 32 balls
Virender Sehwag recorded his fastest fifty against England in Chennai in December 2008. The visitors batted first and posted a total of 316, riding on Andrew Strauss' 123.
Thereafter, India managed to score only 241, with MS Dhoni (53) being the top run-scorer. Strauss and Collingwood scored centuries to help England set a target of 387.
Sehwag was prolific with his wide range of shots and attacked every bowler to reach his fifty off 32 balls. 'Nawab of Najafgarh' went on to score 83 and stitched a 117-run stand with Gautam Gambhir (66) to set a tone for the Indian team.
Thereafter, Sachin Tendulkar (103*) and Yuvraj Singh (85*) remained unbeaten to seal the chase.
#3 Shardul Thakur - 31 balls
The fast bowling all-rounder, Shardul Thakur provided important contributions to the home team with the bat in India's tour to England in 2021-22. His finest performance was recorded in the fourth Test at The Oval in September 2021.
Although Virat Kohli scored a fifty, none of the batters could be potent enough with their contributions. However, Thakur (57) was sensational with his positive intent to reach his fifty off 31 balls and help India post a respectable total of 191. In particular, Thakur targeted the straight and long-on boundaries to fetch most of his runs.
After England took a lead of 99 runs, Rohit Sharma hit a century, while Cheteshwar Pujara (61) and Thakur (60) contributed proficiently as well. As a result, India posted a staggering total of 466 and eventually won the game by 157 runs.
#3 Yashasvi Jaiswal - 31 balls
Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his sensational form in the longest format in the ongoing game against Bangladesh. After the Tigers posted a total of 233, Jaiswal joined forces with Rohit Sharma on Monday to provide a blistering start to the Indian team.
With a strong technique and superb off-side play, the talented southpaw raced to his fifty off 31 balls. He went on to slam 72 off 51 balls, with 12 fours and two sixes and helped India secure a first-innings lead of 52 runs.
#2 Kapil Dev - 30 balls
Kapil Dev recorded his fastest fifty off 30 balls against Pakistan in December 1982 in Karachi. Batting first, the Indian team were off to a bad start, as they were stuttering at 70/5.
However, 'The Haryana Hurricane' changed the complexion of the game with his counter-attacking, as he went on to score 73 off 53 balls. As a result, India managed to post 169 on the board. Thereafter, the home team responded with a staggering total of 452.
Trailing by 283, the Sunil Gavaskar-led side were bundled out for 197. Dilip Vengsarkar was the top batter for India with his 79-run knock.
#1 Rishabh Pant - 28 balls
Rishabh Pant holds the record for scoring the fastest Test century by an Indian batter off 28 balls. He achieved the feat in March 2022 in a day-night Test against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru.
Batting first, the Indian team compiled a total of 252, with Shreyas Iyer (92) emerging as the top contributor. In response, Sri Lanka were all-out for a meager total of 109.
Thereafter, the top-order batters provided a decent start to the hosts. Pant arrived at the crease at No. 5 and continued the momentum by slamming 50 off 31 balls. Iyer (67) again impressed with his performance as India declared on 303/9.
Chasing 447, the Dimuth Karunaratne-led side were all-out for 208 and lost by 238 runs.