Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 23 : Abhishek Sharma engineered an explosive performance and delivered India's second-fastest fifty for India against England (in terms of balls faced) in the T20I format at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Indian left-handers bashing English bowlers in the T20I format has been a love affair that became famous with Yuvraj Singh's exploits in the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Mentored by Yuvraj, Abhishek put his power-hitting ability on exhibition in the series opener against English tearaways. His swift 79 from a mere 34 deliveries took centerstage as India effortlessly chased down 133 with more than seven overs to spare.
During his blitzkrieg, Abhishek celebrated his 50 in just 20 balls, the second fastest by an Indian against England in the T20I format.
Abhishek's mentor, Yuvraj, holds the record for hammering the fastest fifty, brought up in just 12 deliveries in Durban in 2007. KL Rahul's heroics in Manchester, in 2018 saw him celebrate his fifty in 27 deliveries.
In Eden Gardens on Wednesday, out of Abhishek's 79 runs, 68 came in the form of boundaries. With his repertoire of shots, he reeled away five fours and a whopping eight maximums while striking at 232.35.
He certainly had luck on his side after being dropped twice in the game. He unleashed a flurry of boundaries during his swashbuckling performance and brought up his fifty in style with a dazzling six.
After being dropped for the second time, his luck eventually ran out. He attempted to loft a delivery from Adil Rashid but was caught by Harry Brook at long-off, ending his explosive knock of 79 (34 balls).
Abhishek's efforts saw India chase down a paltry 133-run target with 43 balls to spare. This is the fastest successful chase for India against England in men's T20Is with the most balls remaining.
Before the record-shattering display in Kolkata, India's fastest successful chase with most balls to spare dates back to 2012. When India set out to chase 158 in Pune, the hosts managed to achieve the feat with 13 balls left.