Abhishek Sharma scored an undefeated 148 in Punjab’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Bengal in Hyderabad on Sunday, smashing the joint third-fastest half-century and shattering his own record for the most sixes by an Indian in a T20 innings.
His fifty, which came off just 12 deliveries and featured just one dot ball, five fours, and as many sixes, is the joint-second fastest by an Indian. As Punjab scored 310, the left-hander quickly reached his century off just 32 balls, hitting 11 sixes and seven fours. Out of his 148 runs, 128 came from boundaries.
The world No. 1 T20 batsman hit 16 sixes and eight fours, giving his team a solid foundation as he amassed an incredible 205 runs in 13 overs with opener Prabhsimran Singh.
With 16 sixes in an innings, he currently shares third place with Finn Allen of New Zealand and Hazratullah Zazai of Afghanistan.
Sahil Chauhan, an Indian-born player from Estonia, owns the record for the most sixes in a Twenty20 innings (18), which he hit against Cyprus in June 2024.
In the Elite Group C match at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad, Abhishek’s 12-ball fifty tied the record set by his mentor, former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh.
Abhishek, who played only one dot ball, scored his half-century off 12 balls by hitting five sixes and as many fours against a Bengal pace attack that included India spinners Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep.
The majority of his sixes came in front of the square, as he attacked Bengal bowlers both on the leg side and down the ground. In the 2023–2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy match between Railways and Himachal Pradesh, Ashutosh Sharma scored the fastest half-century for any Indian in men’s T20 cricket in 11 deliveries.
In men’s Twenty20 cricket, Abhishek has scored half-centuries off 12 deliveries alongside Yuvraj, West Indies legend Chris Gayle, Zazai, and Chauhan.
Dipendra Singh Airee of Nepal holds the record for the fastest fifty in Twenty20 cricket, having done so against Mongolia in just nine balls during the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
