Abhishek Sharma reacts to falling short of Yuvraj Singh's T20I record: 'More than impossible, but you never know'

Abhishek Sharma missed out on Yuvraj Singh's T20I record on Sunday, as India defeated New Zealand by eight wickets.

Since 2025, Abhishek Sharma has been in sensational form in international cricket. On Sunday in Guwahati, he once again justified his position as the world's No. 1 T20I batter. The India opener smacked a 14-ball fifty, ending his day unbeaten at 68* off 20 balls, laced with seven fours and five sixes. The SRH star missed out on Yuvraj Singh's record by a whisker. Yuvraj is also Abhishek's mentor, having worked with him previously.

India's Abhishek Sharma celebrates his half century during the third T20I. (PTI)

Yuvraj has the fastest fifty in T20Is for an Indian batter, getting it off 12 balls against England at the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup. The fastest fifty in T20Is overall belongs to Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee, who got the milestone in 2023 off only nine deliveries.

‘That’s more than impossible for anyone…'

After the match, Abhishek was asked about missing out on Yuvraj's record. The opener had a straightforward reply. He said,"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."

Opening up on his 14-ball fifty, he said, "That's what my team wants from me and I just want to execute all the time. But obviously, it's not easy to do it every time, but I think it's all about mental as well and the atmosphere you get around your dressing room as well."

Abhishek also hit a six in the first ball he faced during the run chase, clobbering Jacob Duffy over deep midwicket. "I wouldn't say it's like I want to go from the first ball. It's just the instinct I get in between the wickets. I think about the bowler if he wants to get out on my first ball, then what he could bowl to me and that's always there in my mind and I just want to play on that ball," he said.

Chasing 154 runs, India cruised to 155/2 in 10 overs, winning by eight wickets. The result also saw India seal the five-match series. Other than Abhishek, even Suryakumar Yadav remained unbeaten, hammering 57* off 26 balls.

Initially, New Zealand posted 153/9 in 20 overs, courtesy of an all-round bowling display from India. Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets, Ravi Bishnoi and Hardik Pandya bagged two dismissals each. Glenn Phillips narrowly missed out on a half-century, registering 48 off 40 balls.