It was an all-round performance by India in the fifth and final T20I against England, which was dominated by an explosive display of batting from Abhishek Sharma. The left-handed opener crushed the English bowling attack, setting multiple records in the process. He not only led India to a massive total with an outstanding knock of 135 from just 54 balls but also etched his name into the record books. Here are the outstanding performances of Sharma and Team India:
Highest Powerplay Score For India
The opening blitz of India in the final T20I set a new benchmark for the team’s powerplay performance. At 95/1 after six overs, they went past their previous best of 82/2 against Scotland in 2021. Abhishek Sharma played a pivotal role in this record, scoring 58 runs off just 21 balls. He was particularly aggressive and brought up his half-century off just 17 balls, which meant he was the second Indian to make a half-century in such quick time, after Yuvraj Singh’s well-remembered 12-ball fifty in 2007.
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Record-Breaking Individual Score
Abhishek Sharma’s 135 runs stood as the record for the most individual score made by an Indian in T20I cricket as he surpassed Shubman Gill’s 126* against New Zealand in 2023. Sharma’s hundred came off only 37 balls, making him the second fastest Indian to reach a T20I century. Rohit Sharma still holds the record for the fastest century scored by an Indian in T20Is, who reached 100 off just 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Most Sixes In A T20I Innings
Though Abhishek didn’t win the title for the fastest century, he accomplished another feat of hitting the most sixes for an Indian in a single T20I innings. Sharma smashed 13 sixes in this match and broke Rohit Sharma’s earlier record of 10 sixes, while he was playing against Sri Lanka in the year 2017.
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India’s Fourth-Highest T20I Total
Though India were unable to defend their highest ever T20I total as the wickets tumbled in the last overs, the total of 247/9 still ranks as the fourth-highest total in India’s T20I history. And it was their highest total yet in a T20I vs. England; so, one could say this is the fire power that they possess.
The knock by Abhishek Sharma was a real turning point for India in their comprehensive win. Records set in this match would be remembered for years to come.
