New Delhi: Indian opener Abhishek Sharma credited the self-belief within himself for a thunderous century against England in the fifth and final T20 International match at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. The young and exuberant opener slammed 135 runs from 54 balls, the innings was laced with seven boundaries and 13 sixes, to break the record for the highest score by an Indian batter in T20 Internationals.
Riding on the rampant show from Abhishek, India posted a mammoth 247 on the board in the first innings. England were bundled for a paltry 97 in 10.3 overs thanks to Mohammed Shami’s efforts to lead the attack with figures of 3 for 25. Abhishek also returned with two wickets, accounting for the scalps of Brydon Carse and Jamie Overton.
The southpaw smashed the most sixes by an Indian player in T20Is with his 13 going past the joint record former captain Rohit Sharma (10 vs SL, 2017), Sanju Samson (10 vs SA, 2024) and Tilak Varma (10 vs SA, 2024).
“You can ask any player, such matches are very few (and far between). I would say it was all possible because of the efforts I put in the practice, the backing I got from the coaches and the captain when I was not getting the runs or not bowling well,” Abhishek said in the post-match press meet.
“All these things calculate (work out well) at the end and I had the belief that on my day, I will play an innings like this,” he added.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir was pretty much impressed with the youngster’s fireworks in Mumbai and promised to continue the template of playing fearless cricket.
“I haven’t seen a better T20 hundred (Abhishek’s ton) against bowlers who are bowling at 140-150 kph consistently,” Gambhir told the host broadcaster after the game.
“We are going to do this going forward, got to play fearless cricket. We want to keep backing players like Abhishek Sharma. We have to be patient to with these boys,” he added.
India defeated England by 4-1 in the series. Though the final game was inconsequential, Abhishek brought life into it with his sensational efforts.
Abhishek Sharma smashed a record-breaking 135 runs off 54 balls in India’s final T20I against England, setting a new high for Indian T20I scores. His innings included 7 boundaries and a record 13 sixes. He attributed his success to consistent practice and unwavering self-belief. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
