World No. 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma and India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav scored unbeaten fifties on Sunday (January 25) to help India chase down the target of 154 runs against New Zealand in the third
T20I in just 10 overs. Abhishek remained unbeaten on 68 runs from just 20 balls, and Surya scored 57 runs from 26 balls for the hosts at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
The win over New Zealand in Guwahati helped India become only the second team in the world to chase down a target of more than 150 runs in a T20I match in less than 10 overs.
Before India, only Australia managed to chase down a 150-plus target in less than 10 overs. The Aussies achieved the feat against Scotland in Edinburgh on September 4, 2024. In that fixture, the Scots posted a total of 154/9 in 20 overs, and Australia chased down the target of 155 runs in just 9.4 overs for the loss of only three wickets.
Abhishek’s SRH teammate Travis Head scored 80 runs from just 25 balls for the Mitchell Marsh-led side in that match, and Marsh added 39 runs to Australia’s total from just 12 balls.
Fastest 150-plus run chase in T20Is
| TEAM | TARGET | SCORE | OVERS | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
| Australia | 155 | 156/3 | 9.4 | Scotland | Edinburgh | September 4, 2024 |
| India | 154 | 155/2 | 10 | New Zealand | Guwahati | January 25, 2026 |
| Austria | 187 | 190/2 | 11.2 | Hungary | Ilfov County | June 27, 2025 |
| Romania | 158 | 159/7 | 12.5 | Greece | Sofia | June 24, 2021 |
| Estonia | 192 | 194/4 | 13 | Cyprus | Episkopi | June 17, 2024 |
Surya and Abhishek added 102 runs in just 40 balls for the third wicket on Sunday.
The win in Guwahati helped India take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the ongoing five-match series.
Abhishek slams second-fastest 50 in T20Is for India
World No. 1 T20I batter Abhishek needed just 14 balls on Sunday to complete his 50 in the third T20I for India. The 50 by Abhishek in 14 balls helped him take the No. 2 position in the list of Indian batters with the fastest 50 in T20Is. Only Yuvraj Singh has scored a 50 in fewer balls than Abhishek in the 20-over format of the game for the Men in Blue.
During the India vs England T20 World Cup match in Durban on September 19, 2007, Yuvraj scored a half-century in just 12 balls for the MS Dhoni-led side.
The world record for scoring the fastest 50 in T20Is is in the name of Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee. On September 27, 2023, during Nepal’s Asian Games match against Mongolia in Hangzhou, he completed his 50 in just nine balls.
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