Cricket
oi-Ashish Rana
Abhishek
Sharma
delivered
a
knock
that
felt
special
from
the
moment
he
started
swinging
freely
in
Nagpur
on
Wednesday.
Sharma
vs
NZ
T20
Abhishek
Sharma
created
a
world
record
for
the
fastest
fifty
in
T20Is
against
New
Zealand,
reaching
the
milestone
in
22
balls,
and
also
became
the
131st
player
to
score
5000
T20
runs
with
a
remarkable
strike
rate
of
172.54.
In
the
first
T20I
against
New
Zealand,
the
Indian
opener
mixed
confidence
with
clean
hitting
to
produce
an
innings
that
rewrote
records
and
underlined
his
growing
stature
in
T20
cricket.
By
the
end
of
his
stay,
Abhishek
had
created
a
world
record
and
also
reached
a
major
career
milestone
in
the
format.
World
record
fastest
fifty
against
New
Zealand
Abhishek
raced
to
his
half-century
in
just
22
balls,
immediately
putting
New
Zealand
under
pressure.
The
left-hander
struck
4
fours
and
4
sixes,
taking
apart
the
bowling
attack
with
ease
and
intent.
With
this
effort,
he
became
the
first
batter
in
T20I
history
to
score
8
half-centuries
in
25
or
fewer
deliveries.
Earlier,
the
record
of
7
such
fifties
was
jointly
held
by
Suryakumar
Yadav,
Phil
Salt
and
Evin
Lewis.
This
was
also
the
quickest
fifty
by
an
Indian
against
New
Zealand
in
T20Is,
going
past
the
previous
mark
of
23
balls
shared
by
KL
Rahul
and
Rohit
Sharma.
Reaching
50
in
25
or
fewer
balls
most
times
in
T20Is
8
–
Abhishek
Sharma
7
–
Phil
Salt
7
–
Suryakumar
Yadav
7
–
Evin
Lewis
India
surge
ahead
despite
early
losses
New
Zealand
won
the
toss
and
chose
to
bowl,
with
pacer
Kristian
Clarke
receiving
his
debut
cap.
India
made
a
few
changes,
bringing
back
Ishan
Kishan
into
the
T20I
side
for
the
first
time
since
2023,
while
Sanju
Samson
opened
alongside
Abhishek
Sharma.
Shubman
Gill
was
left
out
of
the
playing
XI.
Although
Kishan
fell
for
8
and
Samson
departed
for
10,
Abhishek
ensured
the
early
wickets
did
not
affect
India’s
momentum.
The
hosts
surged
to
68
for
2
at
the
end
of
the
first
six
overs,
with
the
southpaw
scoring
31
of
those
runs
off
just
15
balls.
5000
T20
runs
at
a
staggering
strike
rate
Along
with
the
world
record
fifty,
Abhishek
also
crossed
the
5000-run
mark
in
T20
cricket.
He
became
just
the
131st
player
in
the
history
of
the
format
to
reach
the
milestone.
What
truly
separates
him
from
the
rest,
however,
is
the
speed
at
which
he
has
scored
those
runs.
Among
all
batters
with
5000
T20
runs,
none
have
done
so
at
a
higher
strike
rate
than
Abhishek’s
remarkable
172.54.
He
reached
the
landmark
in
165
innings,
making
him
the
fourth-fastest
Indian
to
achieve
5000
T20
runs.
Fastest
to
5000
T20
runs
by
an
Indian
143
innings
–
KL
Rahul
145
innings
–
Ruturaj
Gaikwad
154
innings
–
Shubman
Gill
165
innings
–
Abhishek
Sharma
167
innings
–
Virat
Kohli
Big
boost
ahead
of
the
T20
World
Cup
The
T20I
series
against
New
Zealand
comes
just
weeks
before
the
T20
World
Cup
begins
on
February
7
in
India
and
Sri
Lanka.
With
Suryakumar
Yadav
leading
the
defending
champions,
Abhishek
Sharma’s
form
at
the
top
of
the
order
will
be
a
major
positive
for
the
team.
From
a
world
record
fastest
fifty
to
entering
the
5000-run
club
at
an
unmatched
pace,
Abhishek’s
innings
in
Nagpur
was
not
just
about
numbers.
It
was
a
clear
statement
of
intent
ahead
of
a
global
tournament
where
India
will
once
again
aim
to
set
the
standard.
