Abhishek Sharma scored a match-winning 68* off just 20 balls.
The swashbuckling Team India batter Abhishek Sharma has once again stolen the spotlight with his blazing 20-ball 68 not out against New Zealand in the third IND vs NZ T20I. Following the extraordinary show, legendary Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar has backed him to break the record for the fastest T20I half-century by an Indian player, held by his mentor, Yuvraj Singh.
Even after losing the wicket of Sanju Samson in the first delivery of the innings, his whirlwind knock came at an astonishing strike rate of 340. During his explosive batting blitz, Abhishek bettered his 17-ball half-century to slam the second-fastest fifty by an Indian in the shortest format of the game (in 14 deliveries).
“I think that kind of a record is very, very hard to beat. Getting to a fifty in just two overs is extremely tough. But what Abhishek Sharma has shown over the last several matches is that he is capable of doing that,” opined Gavaskar while speaking on JioHotstar.
The former batter also noted that it will not be surprising for the 25-year-old if he achieves the remarkable feat in less than 12 deliveries. Moreover, Gavaskar discussed how the ex-Indian all-rounder will be elated if his mentee manages to eclipse the record, which he claimed against England in 2007.
“He has scored a fifty in 14 deliveries in this match and in 16 deliveries on another, so he keeps getting closer. I think the happiest person will be Yuvraj Singh. Make no mistake about it, that his record has been taken by someone he is mentoring,” he added.
Following Abhishek’s pulsating knock, Yuvraj Singh also took to the micro-blogging platform X (formerly Twitter) to praise the youngster.
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The reigning champions, India, would want the batter to carry on his scorching-hot form in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in a bid to defend their title. Since making his international debut in July 2024, Abhishek has already slammed multiple records in the format.
This also includes his stellar run in the Asia Cup 2025. Notably, the opener had notched up 314 runs in seven outings, which is the most in a single edition of the T20 Asia Cup. The southpaw has already notched up 1,267 runs in just 35 T20I innings, laced with two hundreds and eight fifty-plus scores.
His form will be pivotal for the Men in Blue in the forthcoming T20 Championship. The hosts will kickstart their campaign against the United States of America (USA) on February 7.
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