Abhishek Sharma breaks KL Rahul’s T20I record in England, becomes fastest ever… | Cricket News

India’s Abhishek Sharma celebrates his half-century (ANI Photo)

India’s batting performance improved significantly against England in the first T20I at Chester-le-Street, but persistent rain forced the match to be abandoned before the hosts could begin their chase of 190. The visitors posted a record of 189/7 in 20 overs, mainly due to the explosive batting of Abhishek Sharma and skipper Shreyas Iyer, before heavy rain ended the match. India got off to a terrible start after opting to bat. Sanju Samson was dropped for just one game and Ishan Kishan was dismissed for the second consecutive time in T20Is after a mix-up with opening partner Abhishek Sharma as India finished at 6/2. However, Abhishek soon turned the momentum around and launched an aggressive counterattack along with Shreyas.

Abhishek Sharma sets record

Abhishek Sharma smashed a staggering 59 runs in just 24 balls, including 6 fours and 4 sixes, setting the record for the fastest T20I 50-run knock by an Indian batsman in England. The left-hander reached the milestone in just 20 balls, surpassing KL Rahul’s previous half-century record of 27 balls against England in Manchester in 2018.Abhishek and Shreyas put together an 82-run partnership in just over seven overs to revive India’s fortunes. Abhishek dictated the tempo of England’s attack, especially Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood, helping India to 61/2 in the powerplay, but eventually fell to Sam Curran.

Shreyas Iyer returns to form

After initially playing a supporting role, Shreyas took control of the innings and scored 68 runs in 47 deliveries. The India skipper scored his ninth T20I fifty and his first as captain, finding much-needed form after a disappointing series against Ireland. His innings featured six boundaries and a six before he was trapped by Saqib Mahmood.Shivam Dube then added the final touch with an unbeaten 42 off just 21 balls, helping India score 54 runs in the last five overs to push the total to 189/7. Mahmood is England’s best bowler with figures of 3/33.However, rain started to rain on India towards the end of the innings, and it intensified during the break, and the umpire called off the match with less than 40 minutes remaining before the cut-off time for the five-wicket chase. The team will travel to Manchester for the second T20I on July 4.