Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 23 : Abhishek Sharma delivered a stunning performance in the first T20I against England on Wednesday, smashing a blistering 20-ball half-century while hitting the most sixes by an Indian in a T20I run chase, according to Wisden.
The match, held at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, saw India's spinners dominate the first innings, bundling England out for just 132. Varun Chakravarthy (3/23), and Axar Patel (2/22), kept England's batters under pressure, with only England skipper Jos Buttler offering resistance. Buttler played a lone hand with a 44-ball 68 before falling to Chakravarthy.
Chasing a modest target, India cruised to victory in just 12.5 overs with seven wickets in hand. Leading the charge was Abhishek Sharma, who hammered 79 off just 34 balls. His explosive knock included eight sixes, setting a new record for the most sixes hit by an Indian in a T20I chase. Sanju Samson (26 off 20) and Tilak Varma (19 off 16) provided valuable support as India comfortably overhauled the target.
Abhishek's six-hitting spree featured three maximums off Adil Rashid, two against Mark Wood, and one each off Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton, and Gus Atkinson. His tally of eight sixes surpassed the previous Indian record of six sixes in a T20I chase, a mark jointly held by Rohit Sharma (achieved twice), Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Axar Patel.
Globally, the record for most sixes in a T20I chase stands at 18 by Estonia's Sahil Chauhan. Among players from Full Member nations, South Africa's Richard Levi holds the record with 13 sixes against New Zealand.
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. It was the second-fastest fifty 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.