Abhishek slams India's second-fastest T20I half-century

Opener Abhishek Sharma slammed India's second-fastest half-century in T20Is by hammering a 14-ball fifty against New Zealand in the third T20I. Abhishek broke his team-mate Hardik Pandya's record of getting to 50 in just 16 balls against South Africa only last month and remains behind his mentor Yuvraj Singh, who still holds the record of a 12-ball fifty against England in 2007, when he had smoked six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad.

Overall, Yuvraj's effort still remains second-fastest in T20Is after his record was broken by Dipendra Singh Airee with his nine-ball effort for Nepal against Mongolia in the Asian Games 2023.

Just like he did in the series opener in Nagpur on January 21, Abhishek came out all guns blazing in Guwahati on Sunday night in India's pursuit of 154.

Abhishek set the tone for his knock by dancing down on his first ball in the second over and clobbering an 88-meter six on the leg side. He ended the over with an upper cut off Jacob Duffy for four and ended the next over with a four and a six by making room on consecutive deliveries. On 23 off six balls, He next got strike at the end of the fourth and ended that one with a boundary too, by smacking one over Ish Sodhi's head.

His third six was a pull off a Matt Henry short ball in the fifth over and after taking a single on the last ball, he went 4, 1, 4 and 6 in the sixth to reach his fifty and give India a powerplay score of 94, which is India's second-highest powerplay score in men's T20Is, behind the 95 for 1 vs England at Wankhede last year.

"I've said it before as well, that's what my team wants from me, and I just want to execute all the time," Abhishek said of his knock after the game. "But obviously it's not easy to do it every time, but I think it's all about mental as well and the atmosphere you get around your dressing room as well."

Abhishek finished with an unbeaten 68 off 20 balls, studded with seven fours and five sixes in India's eight-wicket win.

"I mean that's more than impossible for anyone," he said about Yuvraj's record. "But still, you never know. Any batsman could do it because I think all the batters they're batting really well in the series as well, and going forward it's going to be fun."

When asked if going after the bowlers on his first ball was a conscious decision, he said: "I wouldn't say like it's like I want to go from the first ball. It's just the instinct I get in the wickets. I think about the bowler, if he wants to get me out on the first ball then what he would bowl to me and that's always there in my mind and I just want to play on that ball."