Abhishek Sharma lit up Nagpur with a brutal 84 off 35 balls that helped India post 238 for 7 and beat New Zealand by 48 runs in the first T20I. The southpaw’s onslaught included eight towering sixes, and the innings also marked a personal milestone. He moved past Yuvraj Singh in India’s T20I six-hitters list, climbing into the top six of all time for India.
Abhishek storm in Nagpur
Put in to bat, India exploded through the innings thanks largely to Abhishek’s carnage. He attacked from the start, finding the ropes and clearing the ropes repeatedly to keep the scoreboard ticking at a furious clip. Support came from Rinku Singh (44* off 20) and useful cameos from Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya as India finished on a daunting 238/7, a total New Zealand couldn’t match in the chase. The hosts’ batting depth and brutal death hitting set the platform for a comprehensive victory.
The milestone: Overtaking Yuvraj
Abhishek’s eight sixes in Nagpur pushed his career T20I six tally past Yuvraj Singh’s mark of 74, moving him into sixth place among India’s all-time T20I six hitters. The feat reflects how quickly Abhishek has climbed the six-hitting charts since his debut and underlines his growing reputation as one of the most fearsome power-hitters in world T20s.
Brutal hitting on display
What stood out was the variety in Abhishek’s hitting. He punished anything short, lofted with precision over the infield and flattened anything in the blockhole. The eight sixes came off a mix of pace and spin, with the batter repeatedly finding clear air and the deep boundary ropes. The innings combined brute power with intelligent placement, a hallmark of a modern T20 hunter.
Match result
India’s 238/7 proved too big: New Zealand’s chase never gained full momentum despite a fighting 78 from Glenn Phillips. The visitors finished 190/7, handing India a comfortable 48-run victory and an early 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.
What it means for India
Beyond the immediate boost in the series, Abhishek’s fireworks are a timely reminder that India have a batter who can take games away from oppositions within a single over. For Abhishek personally, climbing the six-hitters list so quickly (and overtaking an idol like Yuvraj) is a sign that he’s moving from promising talent to established match-winner in T20 internationals. For India, having depth, from Abhishek’s power at the top to finishers like Rinku and utility players down the order, bodes well as they tune up for the upcoming T20 World Cup
