Vikrant Shekhawat : Nov 02, 2024, 07:40 PM
IND vs NZ: The second day of the third Test match being played between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was full of excitement. On the first day, the Indian team appeared in trouble, when 3 wickets fell for a score of only 6 runs in the final session. The Indian team started the second day with 86 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. However, Rishabh Pant's aggressive batting at the beginning of the second day itself put the team in a strong position. Pant made a new record by scoring a half-century in just 36 balls, which not only led to the comeback of the Indian team but also broke many records.Rishabh Pant became the fastest Indian to score a half-centuryAs soon as he came on the field on the second day, Pant attacked the bowlers and put pressure on the New Zealand bowlers. With a strike rate of 138, he strengthened the score of the Indian team by scoring a half-century in just 36 balls. With this explosive innings, Pant became the Indian batsman to score the fastest half-century against New Zealand. Earlier this record was in the name of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a half-century in 41 balls in the Pune Test. Pant scored 60 runs in 59 balls in this innings, although he was dismissed by Ish Sodhi.Pant also holds the record against Sri LankaThis feat of Pant in Test cricket is not new. In 2022, he made the record of scoring the fastest fifty by scoring a half-century in just 28 balls against Sri Lanka. This innings has been recorded as the fastest half-century among Indian batsmen in Test cricket. This aggressive batting of Pant has given him a high place in the list of aggressive players of Test cricket.Left Mahendra Singh Dhoni behindIn this innings, Pant has left behind not only Yashasvi Jaiswal but also India's most successful captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Pant has now become the Indian wicketkeeper to score the most half-centuries in Test cricket at a strike rate of over 100. Dhoni had scored 4 half-centuries at this strike rate, while Pant has done this feat 5 times. His aggressive style has filled a new energy in Indian batting.Indian team was in trouble on the first day, relief from Pant-Gill partnershipOn the first day, the Indian team faced difficulties, when 3 wickets fell for just 6 runs in the opening session. On the second day, Pant along with Shubman Gill made a crucial partnership of 96 runs, which brought the team's innings back on track. By lunch, India's score was 195 for 5, and the team was only 40 runs behind New Zealand's score.ConclusionThis aggressive and strategic innings of Rishabh Pant helped the Indian team recover from the difficulty and strengthened the team. Pant's flamboyant batting changed the course of the match, and his batting style set a new standard of aggressive batting in Indian cricket.