In a explosive display of power-hitting, Abhishek Sharma etched his name into cricket history during the first T20I against New Zealand in Nagpur. The young Indian opener smashed his way to 84 runs off just 35 balls, complete with 8 sixes and 5 fours, crossing the landmark of 5000 T20 runs in his career.
This blistering knock came in his 165th innings across 169 matches, a testament to his consistency in the shortest format. Abhishek’s aggressive approach saw him reach his half-century in a mere 22 balls, propelling him to the top of the list for most T20I fifty-plus scores in 25 balls or fewer. With 8 such rapid-fire efforts, he edges out stars like Suryakumar Yadav, Phil Salt, and Evin Lewis, who have achieved it 7 times each.
Against New Zealand, Abhishek now jointly holds the second spot for most sixes in a T20 innings, matching Kieron Pollard’s 8 sixes from an earlier encounter. South Africa’s Richard Levi remains the benchmark with 13 maximums back in 2012.
Batting first, India posted a mammoth 238/7 in their 20 overs, powered by Abhishek’s 84, Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 44 off 20 balls (3 sixes, 4 fours), and skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s 32. New Zealand’s bowlers struggled, with Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson claiming 2 wickets apiece, while Chris Clarke, Ish Sodhi, and Mitchell Santner picked one each.
This total marks the third-highest score by any team against New Zealand in T20s, behind Australia’s 245/5 in 2018 and England’s 241/3 in 2019. Abhishek’s milestone performance has set the tone for the series, underlining India’s batting firepower ahead of a high-stakes chase.