Abhishek Sharma smashes a 47-ball first T20I century to lead India to 234/2 against Zimbabwe.

Abhishek Sharma smashes a 47-ball first T20I century to lead India to 234/2 against Zimbabwe.
At the Harare Sports Club in Harare, during Zimbabwe’s second Twenty20 international cricket match against India, Abhishek Sharma scores a century (AFP)

Zimbabwe vs. India: On Sunday in Harare, Abhishek Sharma, who is playing in his second Twenty20 international for India, blasted three straight sixes to score his first century against the Zimbabwean team. Abhishek Sharma required just 47 balls to reach 100 runs in the opening game of the five-game series, leading India to 234/2. In T20Is, this was India’s third fastest hundred.
In just 33 balls, Abhishek reached his half-century and needed just 13 more deliveries to reach a century. Despite keeping a strike rate of 212, he smashed seven fours and eight sixes, but was removed on the ball right after reaching his hundred.

The opener became the fastest Indian batsman in terms of innings to achieve a century for India in Twenty20 international cricket when he was removed for a duck on his debut.

In addition, Abhishek scored 47 more sixes in T20 cricket this year than Rohit Sharma, who only managed 46.

After choosing to bat first, India did not get off to the greatest of starts. Blessing Muzarabani claimed his coveted scalp at the expense of their skipper, Shubman Gill, at the 2nd over, and the visitors managed just 10 runs.

After Gill was dismissed, Ruturaj Gaikwad came out to bat. He and Abhishek Sharma attempted to steadily build the innings on a wicket that was not particularly conducive to batting.

In the initial six overs of the powerplay, the Sharma-Gaikwad combination assisted India in scoring 36 runs at the expense of one wicket.

In 8.1 overs, the left-hand and right-hand combination helped India surpass the fifty-run threshold.

After centurion Sharma was dismissed, Rinku Singh came out to bat and, with Gaikwad, helped India reach the 150-run mark in 14.3 overs.

In 38 balls, Ruturaj Gaikwad achieved his fourth T20I half-century.

In just 24 balls, the Gaikwad-Rinku combination also scored 50 runs for the third wicket, with Ruturaj accounting for the most of the scoring.

Together, they batted with aggression, enabling the visitors to reach 200 runs in 18.4 overs.

(With contributions from the agency)

In a single day, 3.6 crore Indians came to visit us, deciding that we were the undisputed platform for the country’s general election results.