England all-rounder Sam Curran provided his team with a major breakthrough, dismissing the rampant Abhishek Sharma in the first T20I against India. The Men in Blue are in England for five T20Is and three ODIs.
India won the toss and opted to bat first. They lost two quick wickets and were in early trouble. However, Abhishek Sharma took the attack to the bowlers in the powerplay, making sure the visitors had a solid start despite the early wickets.
The left-hander got to his fifty off just 20 balls, which is also the quickest by an Indian in England in T20Is. Just when a brilliant partnership was brewing between Abhishek and captain Shreyas Iyer, Sam Curran was introduced into the attack, and he delivered with a massive blow.
On the second ball of the ninth over, Curran trapped Abhishek lbw. While the originial decision was not out, England successfully reviewed the call eventually. It was a slower delivery that angled in, and would have crashed into the leg stump, as shown through ball-tracking. Abhishek Sharma tried to go across the line but failed to connect and was sent back for 59 off 24 balls.
Watch the dismissal below –
The Men in Blue were down to 88/3 following Abhishek’s wicket. However, he played a key role in helping the side recover from early pressure and set the tone for a solid total.
Abhishek Sharma became the fifth Indian batter to score 100 T20I sixes
Abhishek Sharma’s half-century was laced with six boundaries and four maximuns at a strike rate of 245.83. The left-hander became the fifth Indian batter to hit 100 or more T20I sixes during the course of this knock.
Abhishek now has 102 sixes from 48 innings. He joined Rohit Sharma (205 sixes), Suryakumar Yadav (179 sixes), Hardik Pandya (126 sixes), and Virat Kohli (124 sixes) on the list.
Moreover, he also became the batter to take the fewest balls to reach 100 T20I sixes (among full member nations). He took 785 balls to become the fastest, going past Evin Lewis, who had taken 789 balls to reach the milestone previously.
Edited by Rishab Vm