Showing that last game's failure was an aberration, young India opener Abhishek Sharma smashed his maiden international century in just 46 balls, during the second T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare on Sunday, July 7. (Match Blog | Scorecard | Streaming)
The 23-year-old southpaw was dismissed for a four-ball duck in the first T20I, in which the hosts stunned India, but made amends in style on Sunday with a blistering knock that was studded with eight sixes and seven fours. He was out right after completing his first-ever hundred in only his second outing for the senior team, but by then Abhishek had done his job.
By getting to his ton in his second T20I, Abhishek broke the record for the fewest innings taken by an Indian batter to hit a T20I hundred. The mark was previously held by Deepak Hooda, who got there in three innings.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad opener brought his Indian Premier League form into Harare with a similarly rampaging innings that typified effortless six-hitting. He smoked 26 runs off one Dion Myers over, bringing up his fifty off 33 balls with a towering maximum that landed on the roof.
But his onslaught was only beginning to peak. Abhishek took just 13 more balls to score his next 47 runs, getting to three figures on the back of three consecutive sixes against Wellington Masakadza.
The slow left-arm spinner did dislodge Abhishek off the very next ball, but by then the youngster had set India up for a huge total.
Earlier, India captain Shubman Gill had won the toss and elected to field first at the Harare Sports Club. The visitors added B Sai Sudharsan, another young southpaw, to their playing XI in place of Khaleel Ahmed. Zimbabwe went in with the same playing XI.
Playing XIs
India: Shubman Gill (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
Zimbabwe: Wessly Madhevere, Innocent Kaia, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza (c), Dion Myers, Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Luke Jongwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara
