In a thrilling display at Hnry Stadium on Tuesday, October 28, Indian opener Abhishek Sharma delivered a stunning performance, scoring a record-breaking century during the third T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand.
Chasing a target of 199 runs, Abhishek’s explosive innings of 113 runs off just 38 balls set the stage for a comfortable victory. He partnered with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who contributed 45 runs off 19 balls, to establish a remarkable opening partnership of 133 runs, securing a 3-0 series lead with two matches remaining.
Abhishek reached his fifty in a mere 15 balls and added another 63 runs in the following 23 deliveries to complete his century. However, his mentor, former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, humorously remarked that while Abhishek’s 15-ball half-century was impressive, it still fell short of the ultimate record.
Abhishek Responds to Yuvraj’s Playful Banter
Throughout his T20I career, Abhishek has achieved a fifty in under 20 balls on nine occasions. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that equaling Yuvraj’s legendary 12-ball fifty from the 2007 T20 World Cup is a daunting challenge.
During the post-match presentation, he expressed that replicating such an extraordinary feat is nearly impossible, admitting he was unsure of the style of play needed to match Yuvraj’s record. “You can’t just go out there and score a 12-ball fifty every time. What Yuvi paaji did was otherworldly, and I don’t even know what cricket he was playing that day,” he stated.
He further emphasized, “Everyone knows what he did, and whenever we talk about explosive batting, that’s the ultimate standard.”
Team Success Over Personal Achievements
Despite his remarkable 38-ball century, Abhishek was quick to highlight that team success is always more important than individual milestones. He stated, “As a batter, we don’t go for that milestone. We always want to win the game for the team, especially Vaibhav. He’s here.”
He added, “So that was the plan, and that’s what we want to take throughout the series as well, and it went well.”
Abhishek Sharma, who made his T20I debut in 2024, has quickly become a key player in India’s white-ball lineup, known for his explosive batting style.
Impressive Career Stats
Since his debut, Abhishek has amassed 1770 runs out of a total of 2240 runs, with an astonishing 213 fours and 153 sixes. This means that 79% of his runs have come from boundaries, with 918 runs from sixes and 852 from fours, showcasing a remarkable boundary-hitting ability that is rare in international cricket.