Abhishek Sharma smashed his maiden T20I hundred in just his second match for India.
Young India batter Abhishek Sharma announced his arrival to international cricket by smashing a dazzling century in just his second T20I in the ongoing tour of Zimbabwe.
The southpaw bagged a four-ball duck on debut as India suffered a shocking 13-run defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe in the first T20I. However, he was a man on a mission in the second T20I of the five-match series in Harare on Sunday (July 7).
Opening the innings, Sharma slammed 100 off 47 deliveries, including seven boundaries and eight sixes. He reached the three-figure mark with three consecutive sixes off Wellington Masakadza.
Abhishek Sharma's family was over the moon after watching his whirlwind knock. His sister Komal shared a heartwarming video on Instagram story of their parents celebrating the hundred.
The video was re-shared by a fan account on X, in which Abhishek’s father, mother and sister were seen cheering for him when he reached brought up the century.
After the game, Rajkumar Sharma, Abhishek's father, shared details of their conversation following his son’s disappointing debut a day earlier.
"He was a bit dejected. You can’t blame him. When you get out on nought on your debut, you do question your approach. He was blaming himself for his six-hitting obsession. I reminded him that his six-hitting ability has helped him reach here. Why change your style now? Stick to your strength," Rajkumar said while speaking to The Indian Express.
As it turned, Abhishek opened his account in the second T20I with a six and maintained his aggressive style right through the innings.
Commenting on his son's performance, Rajkumar added, "He wanted to get off the mark with a six. He misread the length and couldn’t connect it. But today, he not only started his innings with a six but also completed his century with the maximum."
Rajkumar also highlighted the influence of Rohit Sharma on his son's game. "The demand of T20 cricket now is to attack from ball one. You have to be brave. Rohit Sharma has shown the way for all the Indian youngsters. The template is set and I am glad that Abhishek is trying to follow in the footsteps of Rohit. I hope he continues to play in this style and I don’t believe that this approach is a double-edged sword. He has shown consistency."
Thanks to Abhishek Sharma’s century and vital contributions from Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 off 47) and Rinku Singh (48* off 22), India racked up a mammoth 234/2 on the board in the second T20I against Zimbabwe.
In reply, Zimbabwe’s innings folded for a paltry 134 in 18.4 overs. It was a listless batting display as no one manage to score a half-century on a rather flat pitch. Wessly Madhevere was the top scorer with 43 off 39 balls.
Ravi Bishnoi starred with the ball for India, claiming two wickets by conceding only 11 runs in his four overs. Avesh Khan (3-15 in 3 overs) and Mukesh Kumar (3-37 in 3.4 overs) also returned with three wickets each, helping the visitors to win the match by a huge margin of 100 runs and level the five-match series at 1-1.