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India’s sensational T20I opener Abhishek Sharma unleashed carnage in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025 clash against Bengal, smashing a 12-ball half-century, a feat achieved by his mentor, Yuvraj Singh, in the format in T20 World Cup 2007. Abhishek did not spare his former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) teammate Mohammed Shami, tonking him for three sixes, scoring 27 runs off just six balls.
Abhishek punished Bengal bowling lineup featuring Akash Deep and Shahbaz Ahmed. He teamed up with Punjab Kings (PBKS) opener Prabhsimran Singh to torment Bengal pacers at Gymkhana, Hyderabad.
Abhishek’s 12-ball fifty is the joint second-fastest for an India batter. In the 2023 edition, Railways' Ashutosh Sharma raced to fifty from just 11 balls against Arunachal Pradesh. The record for fastest T20 fifty in the world belongs to Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee who scored a nine-ball fifty against Mongolia in Asian Games 2023.
Apart from Abhishek and Yuvraj, West Indies' Chris Gayle, Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai and Estonia's Indian-born Sahil Chauhan have scored a 12-ball fifty. Gayle did it for Melbourne Renegades against Adelaide Strikers in BBL 2016. Zazai did it for Kabul Zwanan against Balkh Legends in 2018. Estonia's Chauhan achieved the feat against Cyprus last year.
Abhishek's dull start to SMAT 2025
The 25-year-old did not have a good start to SMAT 2025. Against Himachal Pradesh, he lost his wicket to left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar. He scored four runs from three deliveries. Despite the opener departing early, Punjab chased down 148 with five wickets in hand and 37 balls to spare.
In the previous match, he was knocked over by Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj. He scored just six runs from five innings. Punjab went on to win a last-ball thriller by three wickets, chasing a target of 207.
After a sensational knock against Bengal, Abhishek will play a few more T20s before joining the India camp for a five-T20I series against South Africa, starting December 9.
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