New Delhi:
In a thrilling display of power hitting at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, Abhishek Sharma stole the spotlight with a record-breaking performance that propelled India to a comfortable victory over England in the first T20I. Sharma’s blistering 79 runs off just 34 balls, including eight sixes, not only helped India chase down a modest target of 132 but also eclipsed the previous Indian record for the most sixes in a T20I run chase.
The match saw India’s spinners, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel, dominate the English batting lineup, restricting them to 132 runs. Chakravarthy’s 3/23 and Patel’s 2/22 kept the English batters under constant pressure, with only skipper Jos Buttler offering any significant resistance with a 44-ball 68 before falling to Chakravarthy.
As India chased the target, Abhishek Sharma led the charge with his explosive knock. His innings included three sixes off Adil Rashid, two against Mark Wood, and one each off Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton, and Gus Atkinson. This feat surpassed the previous Indian record of six sixes in a T20I chase, a mark that was jointly held by Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Axar Patel.
Sharma’s performance was not just about the record; it was also the second-fastest fifty by an Indian against England in the T20I format, achieved in just 20 balls. This impressive display is reminiscent of Yuvraj Singh’s exploits in the 2007 T20 World Cup, where he holds the record for the fastest fifty in just 12 deliveries.
Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma provided valuable support to Sharma, scoring 26 off 20 and 19 off 16 respectively, as India comfortably overhauled the target in just 12.5 overs with seven wickets in hand. Globally, the record for most sixes in a T20I chase remains at 18 by Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan, while among Full Member nations, South Africa’s Richard Levi holds the record with 13 sixes.
