On a windy night in Durban in September 2007, Yuvraj Singh lit up the T20I world by smashing all six balls of a Stuart Broad over into the stands, en route to India’s fastest fifty (12 balls) in the shortest format. A little over a decade later, on a chilly night in Indore, Rohit Sharma tore apart a hapless Sri Lankan attack to notch up the fastest T20I hundred (35 balls) by an Indian — still the joint-fastest in T20Is involving Test-playing nations.
Cut to a pleasant Sunday night at the Wankhede Stadium, where Abhishek Sharma — a mentee of the first record-holder and a surname-sake of the other — brought back memories of both memorable innings. He may have risen to second place in both records — racing to a 17-ball fifty and then converting it into a 37-ball hundred in the series finale against England — but he also created two more records that no other Indian had managed before.
ALSO READ | IND vs ENG, 5th T20I: Abhishek Sharma’s blitzkrieg helps India blow England away
No Indian batter had hit more than 10 sixes in an innings, and Abhishek had 13 to his credit. Moreover, no Indian had surpassed the 130-run mark in a T20I innings. The stylish southpaw achieved the feat, thereby setting a new record for the highest individual score by an Indian batter in T20Is.
FILE PHOTO: India’s Yuvraj Singh slams his 4th six off the ball of England’s Stuart Broad.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
FILE PHOTO: India’s Yuvraj Singh slams his 4th six off the ball of England’s Stuart Broad.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Such was his onslaught that, let alone the England bowlers, even the visiting batters couldn’t recover, as England was bundled out for a total considerably lower than Abhishek’s tally of 135 runs on the day.
Ever since his breakthrough Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2023, Abhishek has continued to be consistently impressive. While he thanked mentor Yuvraj for believing in him, in an age where young batters often forget to put a price on their wicket, Abhishek recalled a valuable piece of advice he received from the legendary Brian Lara in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room.
“I practised a lot of match scenarios in open nets. Brian Lara told me one thing – ‘just play your shots, but make sure you don’t get out.’ So that’s what I had in my mind. That helped me, and I felt I could hit shots off the first or second ball as well,” Abhishek said after India wrapped up the series 4-1.
FILE PHOTO: Rohit Sharma celebrates his century during the 2nd T20I against Sri Lanka in Indore.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
FILE PHOTO: Rohit Sharma celebrates his century during the 2nd T20I against Sri Lanka in Indore.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
“When you are young, you don’t explore much, but I did that and realised I could play with more intent and help the team. When you do well, you get the support of your team. So I thought that when it is my day, I have to play this way, whether for Punjab or my franchise. Obviously, when it comes to India, it is a special and big moment. I felt that if I have the ability, I should nourish it. There are ups and downs, but you need to be clear about playing this way,” he said.
Abhishek stressed that he was delighted with the manner in which he “used the pace of the ball” to clear the fence with panache. If Abhishek continues in the same vein, it will definitely not be long before either Yuvraj’s or Rohit’s record is under threat, if not broken, in the near future.
