Sachin Tendulkar praised Rishabh Pant for his remarkable performance in the fifth Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 4. Tendulkar tweeted, "On a wicket where majority of the batters have batted at a strike rate of 50 or less, Rishabh Pant’s knock with a strike rate of 184 is truly remarkable. He has rattled Australia from ball one. It is always entertaining to watch him bat. What an impactful innings!"
Pant made a significant impact in India's second innings, scoring the second-fastest half-century by an Indian in Test cricket. His explosive knock of 50 runs came off just 29 balls. This was close to his own record of a 28-ball half-century against Sri Lanka in 2022.
Pant entered the crease at number five after Virat Kohli’s dismissal. He wasted no time, hitting a six off the first ball he faced from Scott Boland, signaling his aggressive intent. This aggressive approach was a stark contrast to his performance in the first innings, where he struggled against the Australian bowling attack.
Pant continued his onslaught, hitting Mitchell Starc for two sixes, and also smashing Boland and Beau Webster for one six each. His quick-fire innings helped India assert control over the match and put pressure on Australia's bowlers.
Pant’s innings also made history, as he recorded the fastest Test fifty by a visiting batter in Australia, according to ESPNcricinfo. Only former Australian opener David Warner has scored a faster Test half-century in the nation, having achieved the milestone off just 23 balls against Pakistan in 2017.
Pant was eventually dismissed for 61 runs off 33 balls, including six fours and four sixes. This was his only fifty in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He finished the series with 255 runs at an average of 28.33. Overall, Pant has scored 2,948 runs in 43 Test matches at an average of 42.11, including six centuries and 15 fifties. Against Australia, he has scored 879 runs in 12 matches at an average of 46.26, with one century and three fifties, all of which have come in Australia.
