Abhishek Sharma follows coach Yuvraj Singh's footsteps, smashes 2nd fastest T20I fifty in India's record powerplay

Abhishek Sharma smashed 9 boundaries and didn't even play one dot ball on his way to his record-breaking fifty.

Day after day, Abhishek Sharma proves why he’s the world’s best T20 batter. The southpaw opener smashes boundaries for fun. For batters with a minimum of 1,000 T20I runs to their name, Abhishek has the highest strike rate: 194.57. He’s in a league of his own.

In the India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I, Abhishek proved why that’s the case. The 25-year-old followed in his coach Yuvraj Singh’s footsteps and smashed the second-fastest T20I fifty for India in T20Is.

Fastest fifty for India in T20Is

Abhishek’s 14-ball fifty wasn’t just the second-fastest T20I half-century by an Indian but also the joint third-fastest T20I fifty against a full member nation. In the 14 balls he faced, Abhishek smashed 4 sixes, 5 fours, 2 doubles, 3 singles, and zero dot balls.

Fastest T20I fifty against a full member nation

• 12 balls – Yuvraj Singh, India vs England, Durban 2007
• 13 balls – Jan Frylinck, Namibia vs Zimbabwe, Bulawayo 2025
• 14 balls – Colin Munro, New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, Auckland 2016
• 14 balls – Abhishek Sharma, India vs New Zealand, Guwahati 2026 *
• 15 balls – Quinton de Kock, South Africa vs West Indies, Centurion 2023

His 51 runs in the powerplay propelled India to their second-highest powerplay score in the format: 94/1. Had India managed to hit two more runs, they wouldn’t have gone past their record.

Highest powerplay score for India in T20Is

• 95/1 vs England, Wankhede 2025
• 94/2 vs New Zealand, Guwahati 2026 *
• 82/2 vs Scotland, Dubai 2021
• 82/1 vs Bangladesh, Hyderabad 2024
• 78/2 vs South Africa, Johannesburg 2018