India's destructive opener Abhishek Sharma played a crucial role as the Suryakumar Yadav-led side registered a 2-1 T20I series win against Australia in the five-match T20I series after the fifth clash at iconic Gabba Stadium in Brisbane was washed out due to rain.
Abhishek Sharma runs in T20I series vs Australia in five T20I series
Abhishek, who is in the form of his life, was awarded Player of the Series for his contribution against Australia as the southpaw was the highest run-getter amassing 163 runs in five outings, including a half-century.
Abhishek Sharma on his partnership with Shubman Gill
After India's win during the press conference, a reporter asked Abhishek about his partnership with Shubman Gill, which has often been described as an “Ice and Fire” combination.
Abhishek smiled and responded, “I’d actually say we’re more like fire and fire. The way Shubman was batting today. We’ve been playing together since the Under-12 days, so there’s a deep understanding between us. I usually know what shot he’s about to play, and he understands which bowler I’m planning to target. Sometimes he helps me with shot selection, and I do the same for him — that chemistry is something we really enjoy on the field.”
Abhishek Sharma creates history in fifth T20I
During the fifth T20I against Australia, which was abandoned due to bad weather in Brisbane, Abhishek became the second-fastest Indian to reach 1000 T20I runs in terms of innings, achieving the mark in just 28 innings, one behind Virat Kohli, who took 27. He went past the likes of KL Rahul (29), Suryakumar Yadav (31), and Rohit Sharma (40). Apart from that, he also became the fastest batter to score 1,000 runs in T20Is in terms of balls faced. Abhishek reached the milestone in just 528 deliveries, breaking the previous record held by Suryakumar Yadav, who took 573 balls to achieve the feat.
Fastest Indians to reach 1000 runs in T20Is (by innings)
Virat Kohli: 27 innings
Abhishek Sharma: 28 innings
KL Rahul: 29 innings
Suryakumar Yadav: 31 innings
Rohit Sharma: 40 innings.