Abhishek Sharma’s spectacular power hitting was the main attraction during the fifth and final Twenty20 International of the India-England series at the Wankhede Stadium. The top-order batsman quickly reached a scorching 134-run knock off 54 balls, setting a new record for the highest total an Indian batsman has ever recorded in Twenty20 Internationals. Seven fours and thirteen maximums were hit during the innings, which ultimately helped India reach a massive 247.
Gautam Gambhir, the Indian head coach, gave an explanation for why he thought Abhishek’s century in Mumbai was so extraordinary.
“This is the best T20 hundred I’ve ever seen. As well as against an attack like this, where Mark Wood and Jofra Archer are bowling at 150 on a regular basis. In an interview with Star Sports, Gambhir said, “Yeah, you might see a lot of T20 hundreds in the IPL, but the quality of the attack, which was in front of him, and for a young boy, I think taking them on from ball one was probably the best.”
Interestingly, Abhishek and India shattered several records on their path to winning the series 4-1. Rohit Sharma’s 10 maximums against Sri Lanka in 2017 was surpassed by Abhishek’s 13 yesterday, making it the most by an Indian batsman in a Twenty20 International innings. During the run-chase, the hosts bundled out England for just 97. England suffered their worst loss in the 20-over format to date as a result.
India’s attention will now shift to the three ODIs that are in front of them. On February 6, the 50-over series opener is set to start. The 15-man team selected for the Champions Trophy will travel to the United Arab Emirates to play in the prestigious ODI competition when the white-ball series is over. For those who are unaware, Abhishek is not included in both the Champions Trophy and ODI squads.
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