Abhishek Sharma reacts to falling short of mentor Yuvraj Singh's long-standing T20I record

India batter Abhishek Sharma continued his phenomenal form in T20Is and went on to register a 14-ball half-century against New Zealand in the third T20I. His explosive knock saw the hosts chase down the 154-run target in just 10 overs and seal the series with a third consecutive victory. The left-hand batter remained unbeaten on 68 runs from just 20 deliveries, hitting seven boundaries and five towering sixes. Despite the sensational innings, Abhishek missed out on his mentor Yuvraj Singh's T20I record by a whisker.

Yuvraj's monumental T20I feat

Yuvraj still holds the record for the fastest fifty scored by an Indian in T20Is. He had registered a 12-ball fifty against England back during the 2007 T20 World Cup. Though he still holds that record, Abhishek came within touching distance of breaking it and it wouldn't be a big surprise if he ends up shattering it in the coming future.

Following the conclusion of the match, Abhishek was asked about falling short of Yuvraj's record and the former clearly said that it is quite a difficulty task for anyone to achieve that milestone.

"That's more than impossible for anyone, but still, you never know. Any batsman could do it because I think all the batters have been batting really well in this series as well and going forward, it's going to be fun," Abhishek said during the post-match presentation.

Abhishek opens up on his knock

The 25-year-old also opened up on his fiery 14-ball fifty and remarked that it is just what the team expects him to do. He also said that it is not easy to bat in explosive fashion in every match.

"That's what my team wants from me and I just want to execute all the time. But obviously, it's not easy to do it every time, but I think it's all about mental as well and the atmosphere you get around your dressing room as well," Abhishek stated.

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Meanwhile, India took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series against New Zealand by winning the third T20I comfortably. This is exactly the kind of form that the team would have been looking to maintain heading into the 2026 T20 World Cup that begins from February 7. The fourth T20I of the series will be held on January 28 at the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.