There were just no hopes from Abhishek Sharma, in this T20 World Cup. His 3 ducks on the trot, and a few failed innings thereafter.. the situation was grim. Come the IND vs NZ final, one just knew that the youngster was a sitting duck against the excellent Kiwi bowling line-up.
Abhishek shines in T20 World Cup final
But what 132,000-strong crowd witnessed on Sunday, at the Narendra Modi Stadium is truly special. The 25-year-old started with two dots against Glenn Phillips, and then went on to score a fifty in only 18 deliveries, hitting six fours and three towering sixes. What was even more remarkable is the fact, he resisted the temptation of going over the top, very early into his innings.
He also went on to look to play through the off-side, which he does pretty rarely. As a result, the NZ skipper Mitchell Santner was forced to keep only two fielders on the leg side, which benefitted him.
Records Shattered by Abhishek Sharma
He eventually got out for 52 from 21, but the damage was already done. The Sanju Samson-Abhishek duo went on to score 96 runs in the powerplay, which happens to be the joint-highest in the history of T20 World Cups. They also shattered their own record of 86, which they got in the clash against Namibia this edition itself.
That is not it. His 18-ball fifty is the third quickest in any World Cup — following Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball carnage against England, and then 17-ball fifty by Marcus Stoinis against Sri Lanka in 2022.
Not to forget the exploits by his partner Sanju Samson, who started off with the carnage and went on to get 40 from 24, and was looking good for more.
