- By Vishal Pushkar
- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:42 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs NZ: India's swashbuckling opener Abhishek Sharma continued his incredible form in the format, scoring a quickfire 84 from 35 balls in the first T20I against New Zealand in Nagpur on Wednesday. The world number 1 T20I batter also became the fastest (in terms of balls) to accumulate 5000 runs in T20s. The 25-year-old smashed five boundaries and eight maximums in his knock as the New Zealand bowling attack had no response to his onslaught.
Notably, Abhishek needed 82 runs before this match to complete the mark of 5000 runs, as he achieved it in 33 balls.
Interestingly, it was Windies' Andre Russell who carried the record on his shoulder as he reached the 5000-run mark in 2942 balls, whereas Abhishek took 2898 balls. Other than Russell and Abhishek, Tim David, Will Jacks, and Glenn Maxwell are in the list of top five batters.
2898 – Abhishek Sharma (India)
2942 – Andre Russell (West Indies)
3127 – Tim David (Australia/Singapore)
3196 – Will Jacks (England)
3239 – Glenn Maxwell (Australia
Most sixes by an Indian against New Zealand in a T20I innings
Abhishek smashed eight sixes in the innings, which is the most by any other Indian batter. He surpassed Suryakumar Yadav's tally of 7, which he achieved during an innings in 2022.
Riding on a brutal 35-ball 84 from Abhishek Sharma, India posted a massive 238 for seven against New Zealand in the opening T20I of the five-match series here on Wednesday.
Apart from Abhishek, Rinku Singh (44 not out off 20 balls), Suryakumar Yadav (32 off 22 balls), Hardik Pandya (25 off 16 balls) also chipped in with useful contributions after India were asked to take first strike.
For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy (2/27), Kyle Jamieson (2/54), Mitchell Santner (1/37) and Ish Sodhi (1/38) were among wickets.
Brief Scores:
India: 238 for 7 in in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 84, Rinku Singh 44 not out; Jacob Duffy 2/27).
Inputs from Agency