Abhishek Sharma unleashed sensational carnage on the New Zealand bowlers yet again as India pummeled the visitors by eight wickets to seal an unassailable 3-0 lead in Guwahati on Sunday. Recovering from a duck in the previous outing, Abhishek blew the New Zealand bowlers away as they attempted to make a fight out of a 153-run total. The dashing left-hander stormed to a 14-ball half-century, breaking more records along the way. However, despite his jaw-dropping hitting, Abhishek could not still topple a 19-year-old record held by his famous mentor, Yuvraj Singh. The former India all-rounder continues to hold the record for the fastest T20I half-century by an Indian, also the quickest among all batters in T20Is involving Full-Member Nations. Yuvraj had famously ripped apart England during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 where he smoked Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over and got to his fifty in all 12 balls. On Sunday, the two-time World Cup winner decided to cheekily roast his mentee, while also congratulating another extraordinary knock. Still can’t get a 50 off 12 balls, can you? 🤪 Well played – keep going strong! 💪🏻 @OfficialAbhi04 #IndVSNz pic.twitter.com/6MQe1p6sx4 — Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) January 25, 2026 “Still can’t get a 50 off 12 balls, can you? Well played – keep going strong!” wrote Yuvraj in X in response to Abhishek’s blazing fifty, now the fastest-ever by an Indian opener. ALSO READ | ‘Tu chinta na kar’: Yuvraj Singh told Reetinder Sodhi before hitting 5 sixes against Australia Abishek had plundered more records along the way, surpassing KL Rahul to become India’s second-highest six-hitter among openers, only behind Rohit Sharma. Abhishek’s unbeaten 20-ball 68 did not contain a single dot ball, making it the highest such score by a batter representing a Full-Member nation in all T20Is. Fantastic striking on display in Guwahati 🤩 An unbeaten 💯-run partnership seals the chase for #TeamIndia! Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/YzRfqi0li2#INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank ️ pic.twitter.com/CuV4IxcnGh — BCCI (@BCCI) January 25, 2026 Finishing the chase alongside captain Suryakumar Yadav with an unbroken 102-run partnership for the third wicket, Abhishek remarked that it was nearly impossible to match Yuvraj’s feat. “That’s more than impossible for anyone. but still, you never know. Any batsman could do it because I think all the batters have been batting really well in this series as well and going forward, it’s going to be fun,” Abhishek told the broadcaster after India wrapped up their 11th consecutive home T20I series win.
‘Still can’t get a 50 off 12 balls’: Mentor Yuvraj Singh teases Abhishek Sharma after India opener’s blazing 14-ball fifty
