Stats: Indian batsmen with fastest Test fifty in South Africa

Pitches in South Africa have always presented challenges to batsmen from across the globe. The decks generate prodigious pace and bounce, something which makes run-scoring an arduous task, especially for batsmen from the sub-continent. Nevertheless, some Indian batsmen have performed reasonably well on the difficult African wickets.

‘Attack is the best form of defence’- it’s a popular saying, which means that treading the conservative and defensive approach may misfire at times. Hence, it’s sometimes feasible to throw caution to the wind and take the aggressive route in order to rattle the opposition. Some Indian batsmen have done exactly that and notched some quick-fire half-centuries.

An elite list of Indians 

Recently, Hardik Pandya entered an elite list of cricketers when he equalled Virender Sehwag’s record of the second-fastest Test half century in South Africa by an Indian batsman in just 46 balls. The list is headed by the evergreen Mahendra Singh Dhoni who achieved the feet in 40 balls in a Test match in Centurion back in 2010.

The list also features three of India’s stalwarts in international cricket- Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly who accomplished the feat in 57 balls each. Hardik, en route the half-century, broke surpassed MS Dhoni’s record.

While the other batsmen have failed to come to terms with the playing conditions and the Proteas attack, Hardik Pandya has shown a fearless approach and has taken on South Africa’s pace battery, comprising the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada.

India were in more than a spot of bother with the score at 92/7. However, the gritty stand between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pandya dragged them out of the pits to give India’s score some sort of respectability. For the time being, let’s take a look the list of fastest fifties by an Indian batsman in Test cricket in the Africa nation.

Here is the list of Indian batsmen who’ve scored the fastest Test fifties in South Africa: