India opener Abhishek Sharma, playing his 50th T20I, celebrated a major milestone in the second T20I against England at Manchester’s Old Trafford. Since his T20I debut in 2024, Abhishek has become a key member of India’s T20I system. In his first 50 T20Is, the left-hand bowler scored 1,546 runs in 48 innings at an average of 33.60 and an impressive strike-rate of 193.25. His score included two centuries and 11 half-centuries, while he smashed 152 fours and 102 sixes.
Abhishek’s 100 Sixes
Abhishek Sharma recently became the fastest player in T20I history (full member nation) to hit 100 sixes, achieving the milestone in just 785 balls. In the first T20I against England in Durham, he set this historic world record with an explosive 59 runs off 24 balls.Abhishek’s milestone comes on a historic day for Indian cricket when 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his international debut and became the youngest player ever to feature in a men’s T20I tournament. After winning the coin toss, India captain Shreyas Iyer elected to bat first and Abhishek opened the innings along with debutant Sooryavanshi.Talking about the depth in Indian cricket, Iyer said the tough competition for places is a positive sign for Indian cricket and opined that “pressure is a privilege” as it pushes players to perform at their best.“Game after game it’s like the amount of talent India has produced over the last few months and years. I think it’s been a joy to watch and also kept us particularly on our toes throughout the series. I feel like, because pressure is a privilege. If you perform well under pressure, you reap the benefits as well,” Shreyas said during the toss.
Hit XI
India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.England: Philip Salter, Jos Butler (wk), Harry Brooke (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tonge.
