New Delhi: Abhishek Sharma lit up the Eden Gardens with a sensational knock of 79 runs off 34 balls in the 1st T20I against England on Wednesday, January 22. The Indian opener completed his half-century off just 20 balls to smash the second-fastest fifty by an Indian against England in T20Is and join his mentor Yuvraj Singh in an elite list. Yuvraj holds the record for the fastest fifty by an Indian against England and in T20Is overall.
Abhishek went hammers and tongs after being dropped by spinner Adil Rashid on 29 in the 8th over during India’s 133-run chase. He smashed a boundary off the next ball before smashing two consecutive sixes against Rashid to finish the over with 16 runs after playing three dots on the first three deliveries. There was no stopping Abhishek after the reprieve as he ensured England paid for their mistake.
Abhishek was on 29 off 16 when he was dropped by Rashid on the third ball of the 8th over and raced to 45 after getting 16 runs off the next three balls. He lapped Jamie Overton for a six over fine leg in the next over to complete his fifty off just 20 balls, smashing the second-fastest fifty by an Indian against England in T20Is.
He joined his mentor Yuvraj in an elite list of Indians with the fastest fifty against England in the shortest format. Yuvraj is on top of the list having smashed a 12-ball half-century against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup when he smashed six sixes off an over against Stuart Broad to create history. No Indian batter has since managed to even come close to surpassing Yuvraj’s feat which also remains the fastest fifty by an Indian in T20Is overall.
Fastest fifties for India against England in T20Is:
12 Yuvraj Singh Durban 2007
20 Abhishek Sharma Kolkata 2025
27 KL Rahul Manchester 2018
Abhishek Sharma weaving magic and how! 🪄
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— BCCI (@BCCI) January 22, 2025
Abhishek smashes 8 sixes against England
It was raining sixes at the Eden Gardens as Abhishek made a mockery of the England bowling attack with his sensational batting display. The swashbuckling left-hander’s 34-ball 79 was laced with a stunning 8 sixes and 5 fours. Thanks to Abhishek’s sensational knock, India chased down the target of 133 runs without breaking a sweat.
India wrapped up the chase inside just 12.5 overs to win the 1st T20I by 7 wickets and go 1-0 up in the five-match series. It was Abhishek’s second fifty-plus score for India in T20Is after his maiden ton against Zimbabwe last year. India will look to continue their winning run when they take on England in the 2nd T20I in Chennai on Saturday, January 25.
Abhishek Sharma slammed the second-fastest T20I fifty by an Indian against England in the 1st T20I against the Jos Buttler at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
