Top 5 fastest T20 fifties by Indians
Often termed as the batsman's game, T20 cricket offers little scope for error for bowlers as batsmen are looking to score off every ball. This has significantly affected scoring rates in modern times and record books of fastest to different milestones have been written and rewritten.
Here, we look at the top 5 fastest 50's scored by Indians in the T20 format (including all T20's) with regard to the number of balls taken. All but one of these five innings have come in a losing cause and on three occasions the player has gone on to achieve the award for Man of the Match.
Suresh Raina- 16 balls
In the second Qualifier for IPL 2014, Kings XI Punjab faced the challenge of IPL's most consistent team- CSK. Virender Sehwag played one of IPL's best innings as his 122 run knock helped Punjab set CSK a daunting 226 for victory.
In reply, Suresh Raina, who came to the crease in the very first over, got going immediately as he hit Sandeep Sharma for three fours and a six in one over. A couple of fours off Parvinder Awana were then followed up by depositing the world's then fastest bowler Mitchell Johnson for a four and two huge sixes in an over.
With 47 off 15, Raina showed his class as he effortlessly lifted Sandeep for another six over covers to bring up his fifty off just 16 balls. The IPL legend did not stop here as he bludgeoned Awana for four fours and two sixes in the very next over to reach 87 off 25 balls.
However, a misjudged single meant that Raina's excellence could not go any further and with his dismissal, Chennai's hopes of winning the match took a jolt. Thus, Raina's memorable 25 ball at the stay is the only innings on this list to end up on the losing side.
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