Top 5 quickest half-centuries by India players in ODI matches

ODIs is a format where batters play a crucial role in setting up the targets and chasing them down. Though bowlers are one of the biggest entities in helping the team to win the matches, with the reduction in the number of overs, the role of batters gets much more relevant, especially of the lower order batters, who can make an impact with the bat.

There are instances where aggressive batters have taken the game away from the opposition with their impactful knocks. In most such instances, teams have won the match. Hence, aggression is very essential in limited overs cricket. The importance of it leads to the individual stat of fastest fifty and hundreds for the team. Here are the Indian batters with quickest fifty in ODIs –

1. Ajit Agarkar

The very first name would surprise many. After all, Agarkar was not a regular batter in the team. The primary skill of Agarkar was bowling. But to date, the current Indian chief of selectors holds the record of being the Indian batter with the fastest fifty in ODIs. In 2000, India played an ODI against Zimbabwe in Rajkot. In the match, Agarkar scored a fifty in just 21 balls, which is the quickest in the history of ODIs by an Indian cricketer.

2. Kapil Dev 

The former Indian cricketer held the record of the fastest fifty by an Indian for 17 long years. Back in 1983, Kapil scored the then fastest fifty by an Indian cricketer. The former Indian captain scored a fifty in just 22 balls against the peak West indies team in the year 1983. The knock of kapil helped India to score 282 runs. Eventually, India won the match by 27 runs. The West Indian attack featured the likes of Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, and Michael Holding.

3. Virender Sehwag 

Virender Sehwag is well known for his aggressive nature as a batter. The former Indian opener is considered as one of the most destructive batters of all time. Sehwag has the joint second fastest ODI fifty by an Indian batter. In the ODI against Kenya in Boland Park, Sehwag smashed the bowlers and scored a fifty in just 22 balls. As a result, India scored more than 350 runs and defeated Kenya by a huge margin of 186 runs.

4. Rahul Dravid 

This might be another surprising name in the list. Whenever someone talks of the great Rahul Dravid, one would imagine a defensive batter. But the former Indian captain is one of the batters with the fastest fifty in the Indian cricket in ODIs. In 2003, India played against New Zealand in Hyderabad. Dravid scored a brisk fifty in just 22 balls, which led India to a score of 353 runs in their 50 overs. Later, India won the match by 145 runs.

5. Yuvraj Singh 

In 2004, India played Bangladesh in an ODI match in Dhaka. India had lost the previous ODI against Bangladesh. With a good foundation from the beginning, Yuvraj had just one goal –  To go bonkers. The southpaw did exactly that. The former Indian middle order batter scored 69 runs, of which, his fifty came in just 22 balls. India was in a dominant position due to his knock. India took the revenge, as they won the match by 91 runs.