Abhishek Sharma delivered a stunning performance on Sunday, hitting the joint third-fastest half-century in men's T20 cricket and breaking his own record for the most sixes by an Indian in a single T20 innings.
He remained unbeaten on 148 as Punjab took on Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Gymkhana Ground. His 50 came off just 12 balls, making it the joint second fastest by an Indian batter.
The World No. 1 T20 player showcased incredible power, striking 16 sixes and eight fours in total. Alongside opener Prabhsimran Singh, he put together a massive 205-run partnership in just 13 overs. Sharma's 16 sixes equaled the joint third-highest tally in a T20 innings alongside Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai and New Zealand's Finn Allen. The record
for most sixes remains with Estonia's Indian-origin player Sahil Chauhan, who smashed 18 sixes against Cyprus in June 2024.
In his explosive innings, Abhishek matched the 12-ball fifty record held by his mentor and former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh during this Elite Group C fixture. Yuvraj scored a fifty in 12 balls in the T20 World Cup 2007, which included six sixes off Stuart Broad.
Facing Bengal's pace attack, including India internationals Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep, Sharma hit five sixes and five fours while conceding just one dot ball. His sixes came mostly in front of the square, both down the ground and on the leg side.
The fastest fifty by an Indian in men's T20s is still held by Ashutosh Sharma, who reached the mark in 11 balls for Railways against Himachal Pradesh during the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. By scoring a 12-ball fifty, Abhishek joins an elite group alongside Yuvraj, Chris Gayle, Hazratullah Zazai, and Sahil Chauhan. The world record for the fastest T20 fifty belongs to Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee, who achieved it in just nine balls against Mongolia at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
