Online Sports Desk
Indian opener Abhishek Sharma scripted cricket history on Sunday, becoming the fastest player to score 2,000 runs in men’s T20 Internationals in terms of balls faced. Abhishek achieved the milestone during the third T20I against the West Indies at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.
Abhishek, the dynamic 26-year-old southpaw, reached the 2,000-run landmark in just 1,024 balls, breaking the world record previously held by Suryakumar Yadav, who took 1,164 deliveries. The next on the list include Australia’s Aaron Finch (1,283 balls), Glenn Maxwell (1,304), India’s Hardik Pandya (1,390), and New Zealand’s Tim Seifert (1,395).
Abhishek entered the match needing just 33 runs to cross the 2,000-run mark. After a relatively quiet start to the series (scores of 21 and 20), he produced a destructive knock of 69 off only 30 balls, laced with six fours and five sixes.
He brought up a stunning 18-ball half-century – his first of the series and 14th overall in T20Is – and shared a rapid 108-run stand with Ishan Kishan for the second wicket after Sanju Samson’s early dismissal.
Abhishek was eventually dismissed in the 10th over by Shamar Springer via a caught-and-bowled, mistiming a pull on a short delivery. His aggressive start helped India recover quickly and set a high scoring tempo.
Abhishek In Elite List
With this achievement, Abhishek became only the sixth Indian to reach 2,000 T20I runs, joining the elite company of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and KL Rahul.
The bulk of his runs (over 2,000) have come while opening the batting. He currently boasts one of the highest strike rates in T20I history among batters with significant runs, along with three centuries and 14 half-centuries.
Playing XIs:
India brought back seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and pacer Prince Yadav as West Indies captain Shai Hope won the toss and elected to bowl first in the third T20I at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and Prince Yadav
West Indies: Shai Hope (captain & wk), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Keemo Paul, Roston Chase, Shamar Springer, Shamar Joseph, and Gudakesh Motie
