Abhishek Sharma hits 113 as India post 118/0 powerplay record

Abhishek Sharma made 113 off 38 balls in Wellington on Tuesday, 27 October, and India reached 118 without loss in the first six overs, the highest powerplay total in men’s T20I cricket. India beat New Zealand by 6 wickets in the 3rd T20I, chasing 198/3 with 199/4 in 13.2 overs, and lead the five-match series 3-0.

Abhishek and the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi put on 133 for the first wicket. Sooryavanshi made 45 off 19 balls.

The record and the hundred

The previous best powerplay score in men’s T20Is was Romania’s 116/0 against Serbia in Sofia in 2021, reached in 5.4 overs. India’s own best before this was 100/0 against Afghanistan in Delhi.

Abhishek’s century, which included nine fours, was his fourth in T20Is. Only Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma have more in men’s T20Is, and Wisden notes he got to four hundreds in 69 innings.

Outlook India reports it was his 11th T20 century overall, which took him past Virat Kohli for the most T20 hundreds by an Indian. That figure comes from one site only.

Reaction

India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar said in the post-match press conference that Abhishek deserved the credit, adding that finishing a game inside the first six overs takes a great deal of skill.

New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell called it a very special innings and said some of the hitting was world-class. He said his side would regroup and were keen to play at Eden Park.

State of the series

India won the first two matches by 4 wickets each, on 22 October and 24 October, before this six-wicket win. New Zealand had made 198/3 batting first on Tuesday.

The fourth T20I is in Auckland on Friday, 30 October, at 12:30 PM IST. The fifth is in Hamilton on Sunday, 1 November, also at 12:30 PM IST.