If you were to ask any cricket fan about how many runs Abhishek Sharma scored in the opening T20I against Ireland, he would say a blazing fifty. Yes, he played magnificent cricket but was agonisingly denied a half-century. The India opener appeared to have raced to yet another whirlwind T20I half-century during the first match against Ireland.
Even the scoreboard showed him crossing fifty, commentators acknowledged the milestone, and it seemed another record-breaking entry had been added to his rapidly growing collection. Except it never happened.
Scoring error denies Abhishek Sharma his fifty
A scoring correction later in the innings revealed that one run credited to Abhishek had actually come as a leg-bye. The adjustment reduced his score from 50 to 49, meaning the left-hander walked back with 49 off 20 balls instead of what would have been one of the fastest fifties of his international career.
The correction happened from the final ball of the second over. Facing Ireland debutant Jai Moondra, Abhishek attempted to work a back-of-a-length delivery on leg stump. The ball deflected away for a single. Initially, it was added to his tally. However, it was later confirmed as a leg bye, leaving him stranded one run short of the landmark. In his mind, Abhishek thought he had completed his fifty later on. Even Suryakumar Yadav, the previous Indian captain, posted on his social media, lauding Abhishek’s innings. But reality is different.
A record slips away by one run
Had the fifty stood, Abhishek would have reached the milestone in just 19 deliveries.
That would not only have been the third-fastest T20I fifty against Ireland, but it would also have extended a remarkable record he already owns. Abhishek has scored three T20I fifties in fewer than 20 balls, the most by any batter from a Full Member nation. A fourth would have taken him even further clear of the pack. No other Indian batter has more than one T20I fifty in less than 20 balls.
Regardless, Abhishek was tremendous during his stay. He sent the Irish bowlers on a leather hunt, hammering seven boundaries and two mighty sixes in his 20-ball stay. A strike rate of 245! The strike rate would’ve been 250 had his bat touched the ball in the second over, and the umpire didn’t give it a leg bye. However, even though he was the only shining light in the Indian innings, other batters completely flopped. Tilak Varma was awful. So were the other players. And India’s loss was compiled after many players’ failures.
India eventually crashed to a 34-run defeat, their first-ever loss to Ireland in international cricket. Shreyas Iyer’s first game as T20I captain ended on a sour note, while the world champions were left searching for answers after being bowled out for 148.
