Top 5 fastest fifties (50) by Indian batsmen in T20I cricket
Five Indian batsmen have recorded a half-century in fewer than 20 balls in T20I cricket.
The Indian cricket team is arguably the most successful side in T20I cricket. In addition to winning two men’s ICC T20 World Cups, which is a tally equalled by only England and West Indies, the Men In Blue have won the highest number of men’s T20Is and their win/loss ratio of 2.246 is the best among teams who have played at least 100 games.
This immense success of the Indian cricket team has come significantly on the back of their powerful batting line-up, which has included some of the greatest T20I batsmen of all time.
Right from India’s T20I debut in 2006, they have boasted high-class and world-dominating batsmen. Five of them have recorded a half-century in fewer than 20 balls in T20I cricket.
In this article, we will look at the five Indian batsmen who have hit the fastest T20I fifties.
Top five fastest fifties (50) by Indian batsmen in T20I cricket:
5. Rohit Sharma – 19 balls vs Australia, 2024
Former India captain Rohit Sharma produced one of his best and his most important T20I innings in the Super Eight game against Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Batting first, in Gros Islet, Rohit reached his half-century in 19 balls. He finished with 92 runs off 41 balls and that set the tone for India’s total of 205, which they defended successfully by 24 runs. Rohit cracked seven fours and eight sixes in his innings. This win helped India seal a spot in the semi-final.
4. Gautam Gambhir – 19 balls vs Sri Lanka, 2009
During the Nagpur T20I between India and Sri Lanka in 2009, opener Gautam Gambhir played a quick-fire knock of 55 runs off 26 balls, having reached his fifty in 19 deliveries. This was during India’s chase of a daunting target of 216 runs.
Although Gambhir helped India to a rapid start, other batters failed to use that platform and India lost the match by 29 runs.
3. Suryakumar Yadav – 18 balls vs South Africa, 2022
One of the greatest T20 batsmen of all time, Suryakumar Yadav produced a jaw-dropping innings against South Africa in Guwahati in 2022.
Batting first, India were given a strong start by KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and got a late flourish from Suryakumar, who belted 61 runs off 22 balls with five fours and five sixes. He had smacked his fifty in only 18 balls.
India finished with 237 and won the match by 16 runs.
2. KL Rahul – 18 balls vs Scotland, 2021
KL Rahul gets on this list with an 18-ball fifty that he recorded against Scotland in Dubai during the 2021 T20 World Cup.
India had bowled Scotland out for only 85 runs, and then in order to gain a boost on their net run rate, the Men In Blue came out all guns blazing. Rahul walloped six fours and three sixes in his innings to take India home in only 6.3 overs.
1. Yuvraj Singh – 12 balls vs England, 2007
Yuvraj Singh holds the record for the fastest fifty in T20I cricket by an Indian batsman and by a batsman from a Full Member nation. He achieved this historic feat against England during the T20 World Cup 2007.
Yuvraj came in to bat in the 17th over and tore into the English bowlers straightaway. In the 19th over of the innings, he became the first batsman to hit six sixes in a T20I of Stuart Broad’s bowling and reached his half-century in only 12 balls.
He finished with 58 (16) to take India to 218. Later, India won the match by 18 runs.
Yuvraj’s all-time record in T20I cricket of the fastest fifty was broken by Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee during the 2023 Asian Games in China against Mongolia.
(All stats updated till 9th October, 2024)
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