Abhishek Sharma credited meticulous preparation and a clear game plan for his sensational century against New Zealand, revealing that he had “manifested” the innings before producing a breathtaking performance in the third T20I in Wellington on Tuesday.The left-handed opener smashed 113 off just 38 balls, helping India chase down 199 in only 13.2 overs. The six-wicket victory gave India an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.Abhishek and teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who scored 45 off 19 deliveries, combined to register a record-breaking 118 without loss in the powerplay, the highest total recorded in the first six overs of a men’s T20 international.Speaking after receiving the Player of the Match award, Abhishek explained how the opening pair approached the chase.“I think the key was pretty simple. It was just me and Vaibhav, just going to enjoy there for a bit, especially in the powerplay,” he told broadcasters.The Indian opener said the duo assessed the pitch while fielding and identified opportunities to exploit Wellington’s short square boundaries and the pace of New Zealand’s bowlers.“Especially when we were fielding, we were observing the pitch a bit because of this extra bounce. But I feel the dimensions of the ground, we could use the powerplay, and we could use their pace as well. So that was the easy plan,” he added.
Preparation behind the explosive innings
Abhishek stressed that such performances are rarely accidental, highlighting the work he puts in during training and the support he receives from India’s coaching staff.“I feel it’s not that, I wouldn’t say it’s that easy, but it’s just the preparation behind the scenes. Special mention to our coaches because of the sidearms; we’ve been playing them a lot,” he said.The batter explained that understanding the conditions and adapting to the opposition’s bowling plans were central to his approach.“Preparation is really important as a batter. If you see the conditions and the dimensions, that’s always in your mind, and then you have to keep the bowlers also in your mind and play the shots according to the bowlers,” Abhishek said.After revealing that India had enjoyed a productive training session the previous day, he described how the performance matched his expectations.“We had a good practice session yesterday, and I just wanted to utilise it, and that’s what I did. And I feel I pretty much manifested this innings, and it happened,” he added.Abhishek reached his half-century in just 15 balls before completing his hundred in 35 deliveries, making the innings one of the standout performances of his T20 career.
Yuvraj Singh’s playful challenge
The knock also prompted a cheeky message from Abhishek’s mentor, former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh.On social media platform X, Yuvraj challenged his protégé to surpass his record for India’s fastest T20I half-century, which came off just 12 balls against England during the 2007 T20 World Cup.“You still can’t get 50 off 12, can you, Abhishek Sharma! Looks like two left-handers batting in their backyard!” Yuvraj wrote.Responding to the challenge, Abhishek acknowledged the difficulty of achieving such a feat and praised his mentor’s remarkable hitting ability.“I don’t know what cricket he was playing back at that time, but it’s not that easy at all,” he said, explaining that scoring 50 in 12 balls requires exceptional circumstances.“It just happens once in a while. But, obviously, as a batter, we don’t go for that milestone. We always want to win the game for the team, me and especially Vaibhav. He’s here. So that was the plan, and that’s what we want to take throughout the series as well, and it went well,” he added.Yuvraj later returned to social media to praise Abhishek’s remarkable scoring rate, Sooryavanshi’s contribution and India’s overall performance.“And I can’t make 100 off 30 or 34 balls. Well played sir Abhishek Sharma! Great innings aur apne single bhi le liye,” he wrote, congratulating the team on its series victory.
