Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI Abhishek Sharma smashed records galore, posting the second-fasted fifty and hundred, whilst recording the highest score of 135 for India in T20I as they thrashed England by 150 runs in the fifth and final match to seal a 4-1 triumph in the five-match series at the Wankhede Stadium on February 2.
It was Super Sunday all along for India as they posted a massive score of 247/9 in 20 overs and then bundled out England for 97 in 10.3 overs to win the match by 150 runs with 57 balls, romping to their second-biggest victory by a run margin after the 168-run triumph against New Zealand at Ahmedabad two years back.
Hitting some sensational shots all around the ground, opener Abhishek Sharma blazed to the second-fastest century, only behind Rohit Sharma, by an Indian off 37 balls as his aggressive batting helped India post a massive 247/9 against England in the fifth and final T20I.
Abhishek hammered the second-fastest fifty (17 balls) and second-fastest century (37 balls) during a majestic 135 off 54 balls, treating every England bowler with disdain; pulling, hoicking, reversing and driving with aplomb as he struck seven boundaries and 13 scintillating sixes in one of the best knocks by an Indian batter in bilateral T20 cricket in recent times.
In reply, England fell to some brilliant bowling by Mohammed Shami, who came into the playing XI in place of Arshdeep Singh, and bagged 3-25 while the Indian slow-bowlers and the scoreboard pressure too contributed to their downfall as the visitors crashed to 97 all out in 10.3 overs, losing by 150 runs with 57 balls to spare.
Phil Salt raced to a 23-ball 55 but the rest of the England batters failed to click with Ben Duckett (0), Jos Buttler (7), Harry Brook (2), Liam Livingstone (9), Brydon Carse (3) and Jamie Overton (1) departed for single-digit scores as England slumped to 96/8 in the 10th over. The contrast in both innings were stark as India were 142/3 at the same stage earlier in the evening.
Mohammed Shami started England’s downfall by getting Duckett to drive to Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi packed off Buttler and Brook as England slumped to 59/3. Abhishek Sharma (2-3 in one over) and Shivam Dube (2-11), whose substitution for concussion in the previous match had triggered a controversy, claimed a couple of wickets each and England’s troubles mounted. It was an embarrassing collapse as none of the England batters barring Salt could do anything.
