India opener Abhishek Sharma slammed his maiden international century during the second T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare on Sunday. Playing in only his second match, the southpaw displayed ruthless hitting as he notched up the landmark figure in just 46 balls with the help of eight sixes and seven fours.
The 23-year-old made a careful start as India lost their skipper Shubman Gill early on for just two runs after electing to bat first. However, he shifted gears as he approached his half-century, which he scored in 33 balls. Notably, he was dropped by Wellington Masakadza when on 24 in the eighth over.
The Punjab cricketer broke the shackles by scoring 26 runs against medium-pacer Dion Myers in the 11th over. The pace of his innings accelerated since then as the Zimbabwean bowlers went clueless about where to bowl. Abhishek reached the three-digit mark in the 14th over with three consecutive sixes off Wellington Masakadza.
The spin all-rounder is now the fastest Indian player to score a T20I hundred from debut. He got past Deepak Hooda who slammed his maiden T20I ton in his third innings against Ireland.
Also Read: Who gave Riyan Parag his debut India cap in 1st T20I against Zimbabwe?
Abhishek continues his blistering IPL 2024 form
Abhishek's debut was dreadful as he was dismissed for a duck in the first match of the ongoing series. However, he proved that it was only starting trouble. It seems like India got an ideal replacement for Rohit Sharma, as the veteran opener recently announced his retirement from the format after leading India to their second T20 World Cup win.
Notably, Abhishek had a breakthrough campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, where he smashed close to 500 runs at a staggering strike rate of more than 200 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
The young lad was dismissed the very next ball after his massive achievement. Contributions from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rinku Singh also helped the Men in Blue post a huge total of 234/2. This is the highest team total against Zimbabwe surpassing 229/2 by Australia in Harare in 2018.
Here's how fans reacted to Abhishek Sharma's maiden T20I century:
Sharma today pic.twitter.com/LXFYEv7MkL
— Abhay 🍕 (@KaunHaiAbhay) July 7, 2024
ABHISHEK SHARMA REACHED HIS MAIDEN INTERNATIONAL CENTURY WITH 6,6,6. 🤯
— Prince Yadav (@PrinceeRJD) July 7, 2024
- The intent is clear from the young man! 🫡🇮🇳
Playing in his second T20I, he knocked up his maiden T20I hundred.
— سدرةالمنتھ'ی (@cid_r4y) July 7, 2024
REMEMBER THE NAME - ABHISHEK SHARMA pic.twitter.com/wMlqji9Lct
Abhishek Sharma replaced Rohit Sharma
— Satya Prakash (@_SatyaPrakash08) July 7, 2024
What a clean hitter of the ball he is. Wonderfull hitter . He is ready to roar for senior team.👏👏👏
— Mohit Tanwar (@funnycric) July 7, 2024
That's crazy innings
— Amit Shah (Parody) (@Motabhai012) July 7, 2024
REMEMBER THE NAME ABHISHEK SHARMA 🔥💥
— Sankott (@Iamsankot) July 7, 2024
Well, the first game did have an impact. Looks like a comeback. Well played.
— Mutha Nagavamsi (@MuthaNagavamsi) July 7, 2024
The future Indian star ⭐️🔥🔥
— Coz Cricket (@CozCricket) July 7, 2024