Abhishek Sharma Achieves Milestone of 2,000 T20I Runs
Abhishek Sharma Joins Elite 2,000 T20I Run Club
During the third T20I match against West Indies held in Indore on Sunday, opener Abhishek Sharma became the sixth Indian cricketer to surpass 2,000 runs in T20 internationals. At Holkar Stadium, he scored an impressive 69 runs off just 30 deliveries, featuring six fours and five sixes, achieving a strike rate of 230.00.
Career Statistics
In his T20I career, Abhishek has played 65 matches and batted in 64 innings, accumulating a total of 2,036 runs with an average of 32.83 and a remarkable strike rate of 195.95. His record includes three centuries and 14 half-centuries, with a personal best score of 135*. The other five Indian players who have also crossed the 2,000-run mark are:
| Player | Runs |
|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 4,231 |
| Virat Kohli | 4,188 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 3,272 |
| Hardik Pandya | 2,288 |
| KL Rahul | 2,265 |
A Record-Breaking Calendar Year
Abhishek's performance this year has been remarkable, as he has scored 921 runs in 32 matches at an average of 29.70 and a strike rate of 206.50. His achievements include one century and eight fifties, with his fastest T20I century being 108 runs, making him the quickest century scorer from a Test-playing nation. He has also hit 68 sixes this year, tying with Suryakumar Yadav for the most sixes in T20Is within a calendar year, although his balls-per-six ratio of 6.55 is significantly better than Yadav's 9.13.
Match Highlights and Team Lineups
In this match, Abhishek reached his half-century in just 18 balls, marking the seventh time he has scored over 50 runs within the first six overs of a T20I, a feat unmatched by any other player more than twice.
India opted to field first in the match. After the early dismissal of Sanju Samson for just three runs, Abhishek and Ishan Kishan (who scored 37 runs off 18 balls, including six fours and a six) formed an exciting partnership, adding 108 runs for the second wicket. However, the West Indies bowlers made a comeback, leaving India at 125/4 at the halfway point.
Playing XIs
Teams:
West Indies (Playing XI): Shai Hope(w/c), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Keemo Paul, Roston Chase, Shamar Springer, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav.