Abhishek Sharma Smashes Virat Kohli's Big Record vs Pakistan, Becomes First Indian To...
Abhishek Sharma is currently the top ranked T20I batter in the world, ahead of compatriot Tilak Varma and England's Phil Salt.
- India's Abhishek Sharma scored 31 off 13 balls against Pakistan in their Asia Cup 2025 match
- He became the first Indian to score 30 or more runs in Powerplay vs Pakistan in T20Is
- The 25-year-old surpassed the previous record of 29, which was held by Virat Kohli
India opener Abhishek Sharma registered a massive record during the Asia up 2025 against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday. The 25-year-old surpassed former India captain Virat Kohli with a quickfire knock in at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Chasing 128 on a tricky surface, Abhishek slammed a 13-ball 31 to put his team in control of the chase. By doing so, he became the first Indian batter to score 30 or more runs in Powerplay against Pakistan in T20Is. Kohli had slammed 29 runs against Pakistan at the same venue in 2022.
In the overall list, Abhishek is third behind the duo of Nasir Jamshed (34 in 2012) and Imran Nazir (33 in 2007).
Abhishek is currently the top ranked T20I batter in the world, ahead of compatriot Tilak Varma and England's Phil Salt. So far, he has played 18 T20Is for India, scoring 565 runs at a strike-rate of over 193. He also has two hundreds to his name.
Meanwhile, India outplayed Pakistan across all facets of the game, even though the coin didn't spin in their favour. Kuldeep Yadav cast a spell with his left-arm wrist spin and ripped through the batting unit to return with figures of 3/18 in his four-over spell. His sizzling spell forced Pakistan to fold on 127/9.
With the bat, after Abhishker's rollicking 31(13) at the top, birthday boy and captain Suryakumar Yadav flaunted his prolific form and announced his return to style after injury with an unbeaten 47 (37). He dispatched the ball into the crowd with a towering maximum to gun down the 128-run target and extend India's unbeaten streak in the tournament.
After India gunned down the paltry 128-run target with Suryakumar uncorking a towering maximum into the stands, the Indian skipper returned straightaway to the dressing room with his partner Shivam Dube.
During the post-match presentation, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha and his remarks about his team's performance were nowhere to be seen, a move that raised questions.
Responding to India's stance on abstaining from shaking hands with the Pakistan team, Suryakumar had a simple message and said during the press conference, "I feel a few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit."
(With ANI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
Pakistan Cricket Team
Virat Kohli