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Abhishek Sharma outshines mentor Yuvraj Singh with record fifty in T20 World Cup final, returns to form on biggest stage
Abhishek Sharma clobbered six boundaries and three maximums to score an 18-ball 50, the second-fastest half-century by an Indian in T20 World Cups
There was a lot of criticism around Abhishek Sharma's form and place in the playing XI. A mere 89 runs from seven innings from the No. 1-ranked T20I batter did not sit well with experts like Sunil Gavaskar and Sanjay Manjrekar, who minced no words in sending a direct message to head coach Gautam Gambhir – "drop him". But Gambhir and the team kept their trust in Abhishek, and just like Virat Kohli in the 2024 T20 World Cup, he chose the biggest stage to silence his critics.
New Zealand erred in not picking a specialist off-spin option in Cole McConchie in the playing XI, the variety against which Abhishek had struggled all through the World Cup tournament. And it showed when part-time off-spinner Glenn Phillips was pitted against the left-hander, who was cautious in his approach. But as New Zealand continued to look awry in their bowling plans, India capitalised and made an explosive start, and at the centre of it was Abhishek.
India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup Final LIVE Score
The opener clobbered six boundaries and three maximums to score an 18-ball 50, the second-fastest half-century by an Indian in T20 World Cups and the fastest ever in the knockout stages of the tournament. Not only did it eclipse Jacob Bethell and Finn Allen's 19-ball efforts, both scored in the semi-final stages of this edition of the World Cup, but Abhishek also surpassed his mentor, Yuvraj Singh, with his blazing fifty. The India legend had scored a 20-ball fifty against Australia in 2007.
Abhishek's aggressive start, coupled with boundaries from Sanju Samson, helped India score 92 runs in the powerplay, the highest-ever score by any team in that phase of a T20 World Cup.
Whether it now matches Kohli's 2024 feat, with the former captain having struggled all through that edition of the tournament only to score a match-winning knock in the final against South Africa, remains to be seen. But the left-hander certainly laid the foundation for India in inflicting the early damage.
