Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Abhishek Sharma lit up Nagpur on Wednesday with a historic assault as India piled on the records during a commanding first T20I win over New Zealand, underlining their growing firepower in the shortest format. The left-handed opener became the fastest batter to reach 5,000 runs in T20 cricket, capping a night where the hosts registered their record-extending 44th 200-plus total in men’s T20Is.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Batting first at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, India hammered 238 for 7, their highest T20I score against New Zealand and the third-highest total ever conceded by the Black Caps in the format. It was also a landmark moment in the wider T20 landscape: India’s 44th 200-plus score is the most by any team in T20 cricket, moving them well past Somerset’s tally of 40.
At the heart of the carnage was Abhishek, whose blistering 84 off just 35 balls set the tone. The innings, studded with five fours and eight towering sixes, saw him reach the 5,000-run milestone in a record 2,988 deliveries, eclipsing West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell. No other batter has reached the mark with a strike rate of 160 or more, highlighting the sheer efficiency of Abhishek’s scoring.
Fewest Balls to 5ooo Runs in Men’s T20 cricket
- Abhishek Sharma – 2898
- Andre Russell – 2942
- Tim David – 3127
- Will Jacks – 3196
- Glenn Maxwell – 3239
The 25-year-old also cracked a 22-ball fifty — the fastest by an Indian against New Zealand in T20Is — going past the previous mark of 23 balls jointly held by KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma during the 2020 tour. It was Abhishek’s seventh T20I half-century scored in under 25 balls, the joint-most in men’s T20Is.The records did not stop there. Suryakumar Yadav quietly added another milestone, becoming the second-fastest batter to 9,000 T20 runs, reaching the mark in 5,911 balls, behind only Russell. Rinku Singh provided the finishing flourish, maintaining a staggering strike rate of 287.83 across the 19th and 20th overs in T20Is — the best among batters with 100-plus runs in that phase — and striking at over 300 in the final over alone.With the ball, Arshdeep Singh continued his own record-setting run, claiming his 28th wicket while opening the bowling in T20Is, the most by any bowler. New Zealand’s struggles were summed up by their spinners’ economy rate of 13.57, the first time they have conceded at least 12 runs per over in a T20I when bowling six or more overs.
