Rishabh Pant scored a 28-ball 50 surpassing Kapil Dev's 30-ball record.
After a ferocious 50-run knock against Sri Lanka in the second innings of the day-night second Test match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik heaped praise on young glovesman, Rishabh Pant.
Pant hit a 28-ball half-century on Sunday, breaking the record for the fastest Test fifty by an Indian batter set by legendary India captain Kapil Dev, who hit a 30-ball half-century against Pakistan in Karachi in 1982.
Karthik lavished praise on Pant, predicting that he will end up being India's greatest wicketkeeper to ever play the game, along with legendary MS Dhoni.
“You have to say that Rishabh Pant is on his way to greatness. I think if he has a full-fledged wicketkeeping career for India, he will end up being one of the greats along with MS Dhoni. These two will stand out as India’s greatest wicketkeepers who have played the game," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
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After India lost Hanuma Vihari in the post-tea session, the 24-year-old walked out to bat. Pant and Shreyas Iyer put on a 45-run partnership for the fifth wicket after Virat Kohli was dismissed.
Pant hit seven boundaries and two sixes on his way to his ninth Test half-century.
When it comes to Pant's batting style, Karthik compares the flamboyant southpaw to former India opener Virender Sehwag, who could also smash boundaries with ease in Test cricket.
“Rishabh Pant has the game to take risks and consistently be good at it. Also he reminds me of Virender Sehwag, in the sense that when the field is up, he has the ability to hit boundaries at ease right from the get-go and that makes him a very special Test player. Test cricket in many ways is a boundary-hitting format for him," he added.