diff --git a/arrow-pyarrow-integration-testing/tests/test_sql.py b/arrow-pyarrow-integration-testing/tests/test_sql.py
index 5320d0a5343e..3b46d5729a1f 100644
--- a/arrow-pyarrow-integration-testing/tests/test_sql.py
+++ b/arrow-pyarrow-integration-testing/tests/test_sql.py
@@ -476,6 +476,29 @@ def test_tensor_array():
 
     del b
 
+
+def test_empty_recordbatch_with_row_count():
+    """
+    A pyarrow.RecordBatch with no columns but with `num_rows` set.
+
+    `datafusion-python` gets this as the result of a `count(*)` query.  
+    """
+
+    # Create an empty schema with no fields
+    batch = pa.RecordBatch.from_pydict({"a": [1, 2, 3, 4]}).select([])
+    num_rows = 4
+    assert batch.num_rows == num_rows
+    assert batch.num_columns == 0
+
+    b = rust.round_trip_record_batch(batch)
+    assert b == batch
+    assert b.schema == batch.schema
+    assert b.schema.metadata == batch.schema.metadata
+
+    assert b.num_rows == batch.num_rows
+    
+    del b
+
 def test_record_batch_reader():
     """
     Python -> Rust -> Python
diff --git a/arrow/src/pyarrow.rs b/arrow/src/pyarrow.rs
index 43cdb4fe0919..336398cbf22f 100644
--- a/arrow/src/pyarrow.rs
+++ b/arrow/src/pyarrow.rs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ use std::convert::{From, TryFrom};
 use std::ptr::{addr_of, addr_of_mut};
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
-use arrow_array::{RecordBatchIterator, RecordBatchReader, StructArray};
+use arrow_array::{RecordBatchIterator, RecordBatchOptions, RecordBatchReader, StructArray};
 use pyo3::exceptions::{PyTypeError, PyValueError};
 use pyo3::ffi::Py_uintptr_t;
 use pyo3::import_exception;
@@ -361,6 +361,7 @@ impl FromPyArrow for RecordBatch {
                     "Expected Struct type from __arrow_c_array.",
                 ));
             }
+            let options = RecordBatchOptions::default().with_row_count(Some(array_data.len()));
             let array = StructArray::from(array_data);
             // StructArray does not embed metadata from schema. We need to override
             // the output schema with the schema from the capsule.
@@ -371,7 +372,7 @@ impl FromPyArrow for RecordBatch {
                 0,
                 "Cannot convert nullable StructArray to RecordBatch, see StructArray documentation"
             );
-            return RecordBatch::try_new(schema, columns).map_err(to_py_err);
+            return RecordBatch::try_new_with_options(schema, columns, &options).map_err(to_py_err);
         }
 
         validate_class("RecordBatch", value)?;
@@ -386,7 +387,14 @@ impl FromPyArrow for RecordBatch {
             .map(|a| Ok(make_array(ArrayData::from_pyarrow_bound(&a)?)))
             .collect::<PyResult<_>>()?;
 
-        let batch = RecordBatch::try_new(schema, arrays).map_err(to_py_err)?;
+        let row_count = value
+            .getattr("num_rows")
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|x| x.extract().ok());
+        let options = RecordBatchOptions::default().with_row_count(row_count);
+
+        let batch =
+            RecordBatch::try_new_with_options(schema, arrays, &options).map_err(to_py_err)?;
         Ok(batch)
     }
 }