Finance
Abhishek Sharma broke numerous records, including the second-fastest fifty and hundred, as well as the highest score of 135 for India in a T20I, as India beat England by 150 runs in the fifth and final match to claim a 4-1 victory in the five-match series at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
It was Super Sunday all the way for India, who posted a massive score of 247/9 in 20 overs before blitzing England for 97 in 10.3 overs to win by 150 runs with 57 balls, their second-largest victory by a run margin after a 168-run triumph over New Zealand in Ahmedabad two years ago.
Hitting some sensational shots all around the ground, opener Abhishek Sharma blazed to the second-fastest century by an Indian, trailing only Rohit Sharma, off 37 balls as his aggressive batting helped India post a massive 247/9 against England in the fifth and final T20I of the series at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Abhishek hammered the second-fastest fifty (17 balls) and second-fastest century (37 balls) in a majestic 135 off 54 balls, treating every England bowler with contempt, pulling, hoicking, reversing, and driving with ease as he struck seven boundaries and 13 scintillating sixes in one of the best knocks by an Indian batter in bilateral T20 cricket in recent times.
In reply, England fell to some brilliant bowling by Mohammed Shami, who came into the playing XI in place of Arshdeep Singh, and bagged 3-25 while the Indian slow-bowlers and the scoreboard pressure too contributed to their downfall as the visitors crashed to 97 all out in 10.3 overs, losing by 150 runs with 57 balls to spare.
Phil Salt raced to a 23-ball 55 but the rest of the England batters failed to click with Ben Duckett (0), Jos Buttler (7), Harry Brook (2), Liam Livingstone (9), Brydon Carse (3) and Jamie Overton (1) departed for single-digit scores as England slumped to 96/8 in the 10th over. The contrast in both innings were stark as India were 142/3 at the same stage earlier in the evening.
Mohammed Shami began England’s demise by instructing Duckett to drive to Abhishek Sharma, and Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi removed Buttler and Brook as England fell to 59/3. Abhishek Sharma (2-3 in one over) and Shivam Dube (2-11), whose substitution for concussion in the last encounter sparked controversy, each claimed a couple of wickets as England’s woes worsened. It was an embarrassing collapse, as none of England’s batters, except Salt, could do anything.
The England bats gave up completely, with just Salt and Jacob Bathell (10) reaching double digits as the visitors cruised to a humiliating defeat with 57 balls to spare. Shami ended their misery by taking the final two wickets off consecutive balls in the 11th over.
Abhishek Sharma was adjudged the Player of the Match for his sensational knock while Varun Chakravarthy bagged the Player of Tournament award for his brilliant bowling throughout the series.
England skipper Jos Butter had opted to bowl first hoping to exploit the assistance bowlers usually get at the Wankhede but that not materialise as Abhishek came out with all guns blazing. Their expectations of the dew hampering the Indian bowlers too did not materialise as India ended their chase in quick time.
Though India lost Sanju Samson (16) cheaply after he started the match with a bang by pulling Jofra Archer for a six off the first ball of the first over and repeating the act on the fifth delivery; Abhishek raised 115 runs for the second wicket partnership with Tilak Varma.
Archer’s bad day continued as Abhishek Sharma first smashed him to the extra-cover fence and then cut and cover-drove him in the point region for back-to-back sixes. Archer’s two overs cost 34 runs.
Abhishek Sharma was adjudged the Player of the Match for his sensational knock while Varun Chakravarthy bagged the Player of Tournament award for his brilliant bowling throughout the series.
The left-handed Abhishek went hammer and tongs at Mark Wood and Jamie Overton, as well as mauling other bowlers, hitting Wood for two fours and a six in the fourth over and hammering back-to-back sixes off Overton’s first two deliveries as he raced to his fifty off 17 balls, the second fastest for India in T20Is after Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball blitz against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban. India reached 95/1 after six overs, their highest-ever Powerplay score in T20Is.
Abhishek and Tilak Varma scored 100 runs in the second wicket stand off 36 balls, with Abhishek contributing 80 and Varma 23. Varma (23 off 15) fell soon after, followed by Phil Salt from Brydon Carse. But their 115-4un partnership has already put India on course for a big total.
Abhishek, who continued to hammer the English bowlers, achieved his century in 37 balls, hitting five fours and ten sixes. He lost out on the fastest century in T20Is by two balls in a match featuring two full members, David Miller and Rohit Sharma. Rohit scored a hundred from 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Though skipper Suryakumar Yadav (2) was out cheaply, Abhishek had decent company in Shivam Dube, who was replaced after suffering a concussion in the previous match. Dube used a pull and a short-arm hook to hit back-to-back fours and sixes off Archer before repeating the trick on Overton in the 13th over as India reached 178/3. He hit 30 off 13 balls before being caught by Rashid.
Abhishek, who had slowed down into his 90s, unleashed himself again in the final five overs, smashing Carse for a four and a six and Adil Rashid for two sixes before being caught by Archer off Rashid, going out to hit a wrong’un and slicing it to sweeper cover. India were 237/7 in the 18th over and finished near to 250 thanks to Axar Patel’s two boundaries (15).
Brief scores:
India 247/9 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 135, Shivam Dube 30; Brydon Carse 3-38; Mark Wood 2-32) beat England 97 all out in 10.3 overs (Phil Salt 55; Mohd Shami 3-25, Varun Chakravarthy 2-25, Shivam Dube 2-11, Abhishek Sharma 2-3) by 150 runs.
Source: IANS
