NEW DELHI: Abhishek Sharma led an outstanding effort and hit India's second-fastest fifty (in terms of balls faced) against England in the Twenty20 International format at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The love affair between Indian left-handers and English bowlers in the Twenty20 International format gained notoriety thanks to Yuvraj Singh's performances during the 2007 T20 World Cup.
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Abhishek, who was coached by Yuvraj, demonstrated his power hitting prowess against the English tearaways in the first game of the series. India successfully chased down 133 with more than seven overs remaining thanks to his quick 79 from just 34 deliveries.
Abhishek celebrated reaching 50 in just 20 balls during his blitzkrieg, which was the second-fastest score by an Indian during a Twenty20 International match against England.
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Yuvraj, Abhishek's mentor, is the record holder for the fastest fifty, having reached it in just 12 deliveries in Durban in 2007. During his exploits in Manchester in 2018, KL Rahul celebrated reaching fifty in twenty-seven deliveries.
The 8 sixes hit by Abhishek, are the most the most by an Indian against England in T20Is, going past the seven hit by Yuvraj Singh in Durban on September 19, 2007.
On Wednesday, Abhishek scored 79 runs at Eden Gardens, with 68 of those runs being boundaries. Striking at 232.35, he hit a staggering eight maximums and five fours.
After being dropped twice during the game, he was undoubtedly fortunate. During his daring performance, he fired a barrage of boundaries and celebrated his fifty with a spectacular six.
He was dropped a second time until his luck finally ran out. His spectacular innings of 79 (34 balls) came to an end when Harry Brook caught him at long-off as he tried to loft a delivery from Adil Rashid.
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India managed to chase down a meager 133-run mark with 43 balls remaining due to Abhishek's efforts. With the most balls left, this is India's fastest and most successful chase against England in men's Twenty20 Internationals.
The fastest successful chase in India with the most balls remaining was in 2012, prior to the record-breaking performance in Kolkata. In Pune, the hosts reached the 158-run mark with 13 balls remaining when India set out to chase it.
