Abhishek Sharma had a cheeky reply for his mentor Yuvraj Singh after the former India all-rounder playfully pointed out that the young opener was yet to score a half-century off 12 balls. The exchange came after Abhishek smashed a stunning century against New Zealand in the third T20I in Wellington on Tuesday.Abhishek admitted that scoring 50 runs off just 12 deliveries was a difficult task. He also explained the kind of cricket Yuvraj was playing back in 2007.Yuvraj had congratulated Abhishek on his match-winning innings but did not miss the chance to remind him about his own famous 12-ball fifty. Abhishek laughed off the remark and explained why such a feat was not easy to achieve.“I mean, I’ve said this before as well. I don’t know what cricket he was playing back at that time, but it’s not that easy at all. And I would say if any batter wants to go there and bat like that, it’s not easy at all. You can’t just go and score 50 off 12 balls. It just happens once in a while,” Abhishek told the broadcasters.Yuvraj created history during the 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban with one of the most memorable innings in the format. He reached his half-century in just 12 balls against England, including six sixes in an over bowled by Stuart Broad.Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee later went past that record, scoring a fifty off just nine balls against Mongolia in 2023.Abhishek has also been in terrific form for India. His 35-ball century against New Zealand helped India chase a target of 199 with six wickets in hand and 40 balls remaining.
Abhishek puts team goals ahead of personal milestones
The India opener said that neither he nor teenage partner Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was focused on reaching individual milestones. Their priority was to give the team a flying start and put New Zealand under pressure during the Powerplay.“As a batter, we don’t go for that milestone. We always want to win the game for the team, 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.The opening pair put India in a commanding position with a 133-run partnership in just 7.1 overs. Sooryavanshi scored 45 off 19 balls, while Abhishek hammered 113 off 35 deliveries, hitting 11 sixes and nine fours.India completed the chase with a six-wicket victory in the third T20I, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. They had also won the first two matches by four wickets each.
India aim to complete a clean sweep
With the series already secured, India will look to maintain their winning run in the final two matches.The fourth T20I will take place on Friday at Eden Park in Auckland, followed by the fifth and final match on Sunday at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
