Ranking Rishabh Pant's 3 best Test innings at the SCG ft. BGT 2024-25 5th Test

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant lit the hallowed Sydney Cricket Ground up with his antics with the bat in hand thanks to a swashbuckling 61 off just 33 balls in India's second innings on Day 2 of the fifth Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Saturday, January 5.

Having bowled Australia out for 181 and taken a measly four-run lead, India's batters put up a flop show yet again and were tottering at 141-6 at the close of play. Stalwart Virat Kohli (6) failed to press the case for a longer rope in Test cricket, while Shubman Gill and KL Rahul departed for identical 13s.

India will have to bat well on Day 3 to set up a big target for Australia to chase. Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy are at the crease and a lot will be expected from these all-rounders. Australia, for their part, will want to get their visitors out as soon as possible and aim for a quick finish to this match.

The real star for the Men in Blue in their second innings was Delhi boy Pant, and in this listicle, we take a look at his three best Test innings at the SCG:

#3 61 in 2024-25

The swashbuckling 61 that Pant scored in the second innings of the final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy off just 33 balls will go down in cricketing lore as being one of the best counter-attacking innings seen at this venue. He stood tall amidst the ruins even as other Indian batters fell around him.

Pant was eventually dismissed when he nicked it to wicketkeeper Alex Carey off Australia skipper Pat Cummins, but not before having tormented his opponents. Pant's knock consisted of six boundaries and four sixes and had the possibility of taking the game away from the Aussies although he received little support from the other end.

#2 159 not out in 2018-19

The unbeaten 159 that Pant scored in the fourth Test of the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy comes second on this list. Batting first in this game, India amassed a monumental 622-7 declared on a placid SCG surface thanks largely to number Cheteshwar Pujara's monumental 193 in which he ground the Aussies down.

Pant, coming in at number seven, swung away merrily and sent the Australian bowlers on a leather hunt. Batting at an extremely impressive strike rate of 84.12, Pant remained unbeaten on 159 off just 189 deliveries taking the help of fifteen boundaries and strangely, just one six. This was attacking batting at its best as seen from the then-21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter.

#1 97 in 2020-21

The 97 that Pant bagged in the famous drawn SCG Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy comes first on this list simply due to the significance it had on the nature of that match. Australia put up 338 on the board in their first innings while India responded with a mere 244, handing their opponents a lead of 94 runs.

In the second innings, helped by Steve Smith's 81 (he had earlier scored 131 in the first innings), Australia put up a score of 312-6 declared, setting India a target of 407 to chase in the fourth innings. The visitors started well, with half-centuries from Rohit Sharma (52) and Cheteshwar Pujara (77) steadying the ship.

However, the fall of Ajinkya Rahane brought Pant to the crease, with 305 runs still needed. The latter responded in a way only he knows best, taking the wind out of the Aussie bowling with a 118-ball 97 that consisted of 12 boundaries and three sixes. He was unfortunate to miss out on his ton after going for one loft too many against Nathan Lyon.

Later, Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin played out the rest of the overs in stunning fashion, taking brutal blows to their body even as they were battling respective injuries themselves. The duo put up a partnership of 62 runs but faced 161 and 128 balls respectively to lead India to an honourable draw.