50 in 50: Rishabh Pant takes out IPL's anger on Abdul Malik
India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant looked in good touch on his return to the Test set-up. Pant scored a fifty in 70 balls in his 50th Test match and remained unbeaten at the end of Day 1 in the only Test match against Afghanistan.
Rishabh Pant returned to his favourite format in style, hitting a brisk fifty on Day 1 of India's one-off Test match against Afghanistan. Pant, who was recently stripped of the Test vice-captaincy amid horrendous form, took out his anger on spinner Abdul Malik, hitting him for three humongous sixes in a single over.
Rishabh Pant has had a turbulent couple of months, having failed as a leader at the Lucknow Super Giants. Bought for Rs 27 crore in the 2024 auction, Pant has not been able to get a grasp of the side and has endured poor showings in back-to-back IPL seasons.
IND vs AFG ONLY TEST DAY 1: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
As LSG slumped to the bottom of the table in the IPL 2026 season, Pant tendered his resignation as captain to free his mind of leadership duties.
Having already been relieved of the vice-captaincy in the Indian Test team, Pant arrived without any burden in the Test match at Mullanpur and tackled spin to the best of his abilities on a tricky pitch that was not only two-paced in nature but also showed variable bounce. Batting in the final session of the day, Pant attacked right-arm spinner Abdul Malik and absolutely thrashed the Afghan bowler.
He stepped down the ground and whacked the spinner for a six straight down the ground before slamming a full toss for another maximum. Rattled by the batter, Malik then bowled a half-tracker on the stumps, which Pant dispatched over the leg side.
The former India Test vice-captain remained unbeaten on 50 off 70 balls alongside his captain, Shubman Gill, who completed his century on Saturday. This was also Rishabh Pant's 50th Test match, in which he has scored 3526 runs at an average of 43.50.
At the end of Day 1, India were 368 for 3.
Rishabh Pant returned to his favourite format in style, hitting a brisk fifty on Day 1 of India's one-off Test match against Afghanistan. Pant, who was recently stripped of the Test vice-captaincy amid horrendous form, took out his anger on spinner Abdul Malik, hitting him for three humongous sixes in a single over.
Rishabh Pant has had a turbulent couple of months, having failed as a leader at the Lucknow Super Giants. Bought for Rs 27 crore in the 2024 auction, Pant has not been able to get a grasp of the side and has endured poor showings in back-to-back IPL seasons.
IND vs AFG ONLY TEST DAY 1: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
As LSG slumped to the bottom of the table in the IPL 2026 season, Pant tendered his resignation as captain to free his mind of leadership duties.
Having already been relieved of the vice-captaincy in the Indian Test team, Pant arrived without any burden in the Test match at Mullanpur and tackled spin to the best of his abilities on a tricky pitch that was not only two-paced in nature but also showed variable bounce. Batting in the final session of the day, Pant attacked right-arm spinner Abdul Malik and absolutely thrashed the Afghan bowler.
He stepped down the ground and whacked the spinner for a six straight down the ground before slamming a full toss for another maximum. Rattled by the batter, Malik then bowled a half-tracker on the stumps, which Pant dispatched over the leg side.
The former India Test vice-captain remained unbeaten on 50 off 70 balls alongside his captain, Shubman Gill, who completed his century on Saturday. This was also Rishabh Pant's 50th Test match, in which he has scored 3526 runs at an average of 43.50.
At the end of Day 1, India were 368 for 3.
