Abhishek Sharma Sets New T20 Records with Explosive 148 Against Bengal

Abhishek Sharma's Record-Breaking Performance

On Sunday, Abhishek Sharma delivered an extraordinary performance, achieving the joint third-fastest half-century in T20 history while also surpassing his own record for the most sixes hit by an Indian in a single T20 innings. He scored an impressive unbeaten 148 during Punjab's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Bengal.

His half-century, which he reached in just 12 balls, is now tied for the second-fastest by an Indian player.

As the current World No. 1 T20 batter, Sharma struck a total of 16 sixes and eight fours, establishing a formidable partnership of 205 runs with opener Prabhsimran Singh in just 13 overs.

Sharma's 16 sixes place him alongside Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai and New Zealand's Finn Allen for the joint third-highest number of sixes in a T20 innings.

The record for the most sixes in a T20 innings is held by Sahil Chauhan, who hit 18 sixes against Cyprus in June 2024.

Abhishek's rapid fifty matched the record set by his mentor, former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, during the Elite Group C match at Gymkhana Ground.

Facing a Bengal bowling attack that included Indian bowlers Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep, Abhishek only faced one dot ball, hitting five sixes and five fours to reach his fifty in just 12 deliveries.

He effectively targeted the Bengal bowlers both down the ground and on the leg side, with most of his sixes landing in front of the square. The record for the fastest half-century in men's T20 belongs to Ashutosh Sharma, who achieved it in 11 balls for Railways against Himachal Pradesh in the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.

With this performance, Abhishek joins the ranks of Yuvraj, West Indies legend Chris Gayle, Zazai, and Chauhan, all of whom have scored half-centuries in 12 balls in men's T20 matches.

The overall record for the fastest fifty in T20s is held by Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee, who completed his in just nine balls against Mongolia during the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.