IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: Abhishek Sharma reveals ‘special’ treatment after India star’s 20-ball fifty lit up Kolkata sky

Abhishek Sharma made special mention for captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir after his 34-ball 79 helped India take a 1-0 lead against England in the five-match T20I series on Wednesday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Chasing 133 runs for victory, India romped home with 43 balls to spare with Abhishek Sharma doing most of the damage.

Coming into the series after a poor show in the last series against South Africa, pressure was on Abhishek Sharma. The Punjab cricketer grabbed the opportunity with both hands and hit the opposition all around the park to bring up his fifty in just 20 balls.

During his stay in the middle, Abhishek Sharma cantered as many as eight sixes and five fours to entertain the packed Eden Gardens crowd on a winter evening. If stats are to be believed, 86.07% of Abhishek Sharma’s runs have come in boundaries – 68 out of 79.

Only Rohit Sharma’s 91.53% (108 out of 118) against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017 have had a higher share of boundaries (75-plus runs). Abhishek Sharma revealed the support from the captain and the coach.

“I just wanted to express myself. A special mention to the captain and coach. They have given us a lot of freedom. The way they talk to youngsters, it’s tremendous,” the southpaw said after the match.

“It’s about expressing myself. The plan was simple. IPL has helped me a lot. I haven’t seen a team environment like this. When it’s coming from the captain and coach, to play freely, it’s special,” added the youngster.

Abhishek Sharma joins Yuvraj Singh

During his innings, Abhishek Sharma also joined his mentor Yuvraj Singh in the list for fastest fifties by an Indian batter against England in T20Is. Yuvraj Singh holds the record for fastest fifty against England in the shortest format when he reached the milestone in just 12 balls during the 2007 T20 World Cup. It was the same match when he former all-rounder smashes Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over.

Abhishek Sharma’s 20-ball half-century stands second on the list while KL Rahul’s 27-ball fifty in 2018 is third. Not to forget, Abhishek Sharma was dropped by Adil Rashid in the eighth over.

Earlier, left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh became India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is with 97 scalps, surpassing Yuzvendra Chahal’s tally of 96 victims. Arshdeep, who made his T20I debut in 2022, achieved the milestone in his 61st match, 19 games lesser than Yuzvendra Chahal’s 80 appearances in the shortest format.