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Abhishek’s rapid fire ton seals India’s 4-1 series win over England
The opener’s 54-ball 135, the highest T20I score by an Indian batter, helped the hosts win by 150 runs at the Wankhede Stadium
Mumbai: A new-look Indian side has taken over from the seasoned campaigners who won the T20 World Cup last year. All the rough edges smoothened, their risk-free approach has given India a newly discovered attitude. It was exemplified by Abhishek Sharma’s whirlwind 135 (54b, 7x4, 13x6) in Mumbai on Sunday that helped India bulldoze England by 150 runs and win the series 4-1.
Abhishek’s was India’s highest T20I score, and he also scored the most maximums by an Indian. The Yuvraj Singh disciple and Brian Lara’s current favourite gave his heroes 135 reasons to smile. The high and mighty had occupied the VVIP seats inside the stadium. But the lanky left-hander from Amritsar made sure the focus remained firmly on him.
Before and after a strong lbw call in the first over, Sanju Samson pulled Jofra Archer for two sixes in front and behind square, only to fall in the next over, giving a catch to deep backward square leg off Mark Wood. Consistently falling to the short ball, Samson has been left with work to do.
At the other end, Abhishek was meeting England’s fire with fire. He cut, pulled, launched into lofted drives against Jofra Archer and Wood as if smashing 150 kph rockets was second nature. “Abhishek is becoming one of my favourite batters,” Kevin Pietersen tweeted. The former England batting star wasn’t alone. The Wankhede stadium, packed to the rafters, stood to applaud when the left-hander raced to his fifty in 24 minutes of work - three fours and five sixes in the 17 balls he faced.
Not just pacers, Abhishek was picking the on-song Adil Rashid so early and so well; the leg-spinner’s wrong ‘uns were attacked for back-to-back straight sixes. India’s hundred was up in the seventh over. It usually rains runs at the Wankhede. And it felt like a torrent of runs.
A ball after India were halfway through the innings, Abhishek had touched his individual hundred. In 37 balls, in 52 minutes, with 10 sixes deposited in the stands. The 24-year-old punched the air, screamed in delight and raised his bat and arms to acknowledge the crowd who were chanting ‘Abhi-shek Abhi-shek’.
Abhishek’s wagon wheel didn’t have many runs behind the wicket. He wasn’t required to be fancy, 75 percent of his first hundred runs came on the off-side. It was more a function of where he was bowled to. Abhishek did not pre-meditate much. So clean was his bat swing, assisted by a sharp eye; he kept hitting them clean, and long.
While Abhishek was flying, England continued to chip away with wickets at the other end. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s (2) skier found the fielder again. Hardik Pandya (9) and Rinku Singh (9) didn’t get many. But India maintained the intent meter.
Just when the proceedings slowed down in the middle overs (27 runs between overs 14-17), Abhishek hit high gears again against Rashid with 18 runs in the 18th over. When he finally missed clearing sweeper cover, Rashid the bowler was the first one to congratulate him. Only, for that one ball, was Abhishek beaten in the air. But his fireworks had lit up the Mumbai sky during an immensely watchable innings.
The hosts could add only 10 runs in the final two overs after Abhishek fell. But the 248-run target proved to be too steep for England. They never came close and were bowled out for 97. They were outsmarted not just here, as the 1-4 series scoreline suggests, throughout India’s nippy winter evenings.
