India’s rising star Abhishek Sharma produced a breathtaking innings in the fifth and final T20I against England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, dismantling the opposition with brute force. The left-hander’s explosive 135 off 54 balls set multiple records, including the second-fastest T20I century by an Indian, as India posted a mammoth 247/9 in 20 overs.
Abhishek Sharma showcased his aggressive intent right from the start, making full use of the powerplay after England’s captain Jos Buttler opted to bowl first. He reached his century in just 37 balls, leaving England shell-shocked. This made him the second-fastest Indian to score a T20I century, just behind Rohit Sharma, who achieved the feat in 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Not stopping at that, Abhishek also recorded the highest individual T20I score by an Indian batter, surpassing Shubman Gill’s 126 against New Zealand* in 2023. His innings came to an end at 135 runs off 54 balls when he was dismissed by England’s Adil Rashid.
Earlier in the match, Abhishek also notched up the second-fastest fifty for an Indian in T20Is, surpassing KL Rahul’s 18-ball fifty against Scotland in 2021. The record for the fastest fifty by an Indian still belongs to Yuvraj Singh (12 balls) against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Globally, the fastest T20I fifty is held by Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee (9 balls).
Sanju Samson opened India’s innings in an aggressive manner, hitting the first ball of the match for a six off Jofra Archer. However, his stay was short-lived, as he was dismissed for 16 runs by Mark Wood. Throughout the series, Samson struggled against short balls, managing just 35 runs from 29 short-pitched deliveries, with all five of his dismissals coming in a similar manner.
Meanwhile, England’s bowlers had no answers to Abhishek’s onslaught. He particularly dominated Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton, scoring 60 runs off 32 deliveries against Archer at a strike rate of 187.40. His fearless approach against extreme pace, especially against Archer and Mark Wood, was one of the defining aspects of his innings.
For this final match, India made a key bowling change, bringing in Mohammed Shami in place of Arshdeep Singh, while England included Mark Wood for Saqib Mahmood.
With India already having sealed the series, the final T20I was a dead rubber. However, Abhishek’s spectacular century ensured that the match remained a thrilling spectacle, as the young batter made a strong case for a long-term spot in India’s T20I setup.
India’s dominant performance in this series reaffirms their T20I depth, and Abhishek Sharma’s record-breaking innings signals the arrival of another aggressive top-order batter in the international circuit. As India gears up for the upcoming T20I fixtures, all eyes will be on whether Abhishek can continue this form and cement his place in the squad.
With the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal already in the mix, the competition for spots at the top of the order is heating up, making India’s T20I lineup even more formidable.
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