IND vs ENG, 5th T20I: Abhishek Sharma masterclass blows away England as India continue stunning run in shortest format

Having missed a well-deserved hundred in Kolkata in the first match of the series, Abhishek Sharma didn’t let go the opportunity in Mumbai as his record 135 runs off 54 balls helped India record a stunning 150-run win over England in the fifth game on Sunday. To make the win memorable, the left-arm orthodox spinner claimed two wickets in an over to cap off a memorable day in the office.

Opening the batting for India after being sent into bat, Abhishek Sharma clobbered the England bowlers all round the park to race away to his fifty in just 17 balls. He reached his next fifty in 20 balls to become the second-fastest Indian to a T20I hundred.

In the process, Abhishek Sharma recorded the highest individual score by an Indian in T20Is, surpassing Shubman Gill’s 126 not out against England. During his stay at the crease, the 22-year-old smashed 13 sixes, which is the most by an Indian in T20I, surpassing Rohit Sharma’s 10.

The Punjab lad went hammer and tongs to power India to 247/9, their highest-ever T20I total against England. In reply, Jos Buttler’s men surrendered meekly, getting bowled out for just 97 in 10.3 overs.

India’s win by 150 runs is now their second biggest by margin of runs in T20Is after their 168-run hammering of New Zealand in 2023. For England, Phil Salt top scored with 23-ball 55 as the likes of Ben Duckett (0), Jos Buttler (7), Harry Brook (2) and Liam Livingstone (9) made an embarrassing 18 runs on a perfect batting track together.

Gautam Gambhir says ‘haven’t seen a better T20 hundred’

While Abhishek Sharma didn’t forget to thank the coaches for the support, India head coach Gautam Gambhir remarked he hasn’t seen a better T20I hundred than the youngster’s. “We want to keep backing players like Abhishek Sharma. We have to be patient to with these boys, it’s important to keep backing them.

“Most of these boys believe in the ideology of playing fearless cricket. I haven’t seen a better T20 hundred (Abhishek’s ton) against bowlers who are bowling at 140-150 kph consistently. They (these players) have played a lot of cricket against each other. That’s all Indian cricket is all about us,” said Gambhir, who also used to open the batting for India previously.

With this win, the world champions continued their stunning run in T20 cricket which has seen them win 29 of their last 32 matches. The series also maintained Gautam Gambhir’s perfect record in the shortest format.