Leading India opener Abhishek Sharma has reacted to his mentor and ex-India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh’s playful jibe at him for not breaking his record of a 12-ball 50 in T20Is, after the Punjab southpaw starred in India’s recent 6-wicket win in the third T20I against New Zealand in Wellington on October 27, 2026.
After being put in to bat first, New Zealand reached 198/3 in 20 overs, thanks to Daryl Mitchell’s 89*, Finn Allen’s 40, and Bevon Jacobs’ 39*.
In reply, India raced to a world-record 118/0 during the first 6 overs of the powerplay, powered by the onslaught of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma against the New Zealand bowlers. The pair put on 133 runs for the opening wicket before Sooryavanshi was dismissed for 45 off 19 balls.
However, Abhishek Sharma carried on and blasted 113 off 38 balls, including 11 sixes and 9 fours, as India chased down the target with 6 wickets in hand and in 13.2 overs. With this victory, India took a 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, clinching the series with two games still to play. Abhishek Sharma’s 113 earned him the Player of the Match award.
Yuvraj Singh, who has mentored the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Naman Dhir, Priyansh Arya, and Prabhsimran Singh, took to social media to congratulate Abhishek and mocked him for not breaking his record of scoring a 50 in 12 balls.
“You still can’t get 50 of 12, can you? @OfficialAbhi04! Looks like two left-handers batting in their backyard! "Yuvraj Singh posted on X.
Abhishek Sharma reacted to his mentor’s playful jibe during the post-match presentation chat with the official broadcasters.
“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, as quoted by Cricbuzz, when asked about Yuvraj Singh’s jibe.
Abhishek Sharma hammered 11 sixes and 9 fours in his 38-ball knock, reaching the three-figure mark in just 35 balls. The opener remarked that studying the pitch and taking advantage of the ground's dimensions enabled him and Sooryavanshi to settle on their strategy.
“I think the key was pretty simple. It was just me and Vaibhav, just going to enjoy it there for a bit, especially in the power play. And 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 power play, and we could use their pace as well. So that was the easy plan. And then, obviously, the way he started the first over, Vaibhav, I think that was really special. And that was the plan for us: get the momentum for the team and then just keep going,” he added.
“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.
The 25-year-old also credited India's coaching staff for the preparation that went into his innings, particularly the work with sidearm deliveries during training.
“It's just the preparation behind the scenes. I would say a special mention to our coaches because of the sidearms; we've been playing them a lot. And it's just, I feel that 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. We had a good practice session yesterday, and I just wanted to utilize it, and that's what I did. And I feel I pretty much, you know, manifested this innings, and it happened,” Abhishek Sharma stated.
The fourth T20I will be played in Auckland on October 30, and it remains to be seen whether India will make any changes to their playing XI, as they’ve already pocketed the series with a 3-0 lead.
