Shardul Thakur joined some elite company by scoring the second-fastest recorded half-century by an Indian in Test cricket.
Shardul Thakur scored his half-century in just 31 balls in the first innings of the fourth Test against England at The Oval, London. His 36-ball 57 included seven fours and three sixes and is the fastest-recorded half-century in Test matches played in England. The previous best was lan Botham’s 32-ball fifty against New Zealand in 1986.
Kapil Dev 30-ball fifty against Pakistan in Karachi in 1982
Kapil’s 53-ball 73, which included the fastest recorded Test fifty by an Indian, was the only only bright spot in the match. Despite Kapil’s heroics, India were bundled out for 169 in the first innings. Pakistan scored 452 and won the match by an innings and 86 runs as they dismissed India for 197 the second time around.
Shardul Thakur 31-ball fifty against England in London in 2021
Shardul Thakur followed up his 36-ball 57 in the first innings with a 72-ball 60 in the second innings of the fourth Test against England at The Oval, London.
Apart from his fifties in both innings, Thakur also picked up three important wickets in the match to set up India’s victory. Thakur not only dismissed England’s first innings top-scorer Ollie Pope, but also accounted for the, crucial blows of Rory Burns and Joe Root in the second innings.
Virender Sehwag 32-ball fifty against England in Chennai in 2008
Sehwag’s 32-ball half-century was the turning point of this Test match between India and England and he was named player of the match for this knock. Batting first, England had scored 316 in the first innings before dismissing India for 241 and taking a lead of 75. England then declared their second innings at 311 for nine, setting a near impossible target of 387 for India to win. That was when Sehwag dominated proceedings, his 68-ball 83 on day four paving the way for India’s unlikely victory on the final day as they won the match by six wickets.
Picture Credit : Google
