After a string of single-digit scores in his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy return as Punjab captain, Abhishek Sharma unleashed carnage with a record-breaking century against an experienced Bengal bowling attack at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad on Sunday morning.
Opening the batting after winning the toss, Abhishek hit top gear from ball one as he waltzed to a 12-ball half-century after whipping the likes of his former SunRisers Hyderabad teammate Mohammed Shami for 23 runs in an over.
What made Abhishek’s half-century a jaw-dropping feat is that the left-hander had amassed 50 of his 51 runs at the time of reaching his half-century in boundaries! Abhishek had whipped up five sixes and as many fours to pulverise the Bengal attack by then.
Abhishek and his opening partner, Prabhsimran Singh, powered Punjab past 120 inside 8 overs, with the latter too reaching his half-century. He then pressed on the charge even further, continuing the bewildering six-hitting in the V in front of the square.
Abhishek equals Rohit, only Kohli ahead
The southpaw continued his six-hitting feats unabated as he romped to a 32-ball century, smacking 11 sixes and seven fours before reaching the three-figure mark. The innings jotted his 8th T20 hundred in only 157 innings, equalling Rohit Sharma. Only Virat Kohli (9) has struck more centuries among Indian batters in the T20 format.
Last year, Abhishek clubbed the joint-fastest T20 hundred by an Indian in only 28 balls against Meghalaya in the previous SMAT season. Abhishek also pummeled 87 sixes last year in all T20s, the highest by an Indian man in the format in a calendar year.
Notching up 16 sixes, Abhishek also broke his own record from 2024 for the most T20 sixes in a calendar year. While he had racked up 87 maximums last season, Abhishek raced past the 90-sixes mark with his 15th maximum against a hapless Bengal bowling attack.
Most T20 sixes by an Indian in a calendar year
While Abhishek fell on 148 off 52 deliveries on the back of 16 sixes and eight fours, Punjab’s collective firepower powered them past 300, making them only the second Indian T20 team after Baroda (v Sikkim in 2024) to achieve the landmark.
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