At the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday night, Abhishek Sharma didn’t just announce himself. He detonated.
Chasing 157 against Afghanistan in the first T20I, India needed a solid start, a platform, maybe a bit of patience. Abhishek chose a different script. He smashed 82 off just 32 balls, shredding the target in 13.4 overs and turning what could have been a contest into a highlight reel. Seven fours, seven sixes, and a statement that echoed far beyond Delhi’s winter air.
Rashid Khan feels the full force
Plenty of batters have tried to go after Rashid Khan in T20 cricket. Very few have kept going once they’ve seen the ball rip past the outside edge or crash into the pads. Abhishek not only took him on, he now stands alone at the top of a remarkable list.
Across T20 matches with ball-by-ball data available, 113 batters have faced at least 30 deliveries from Rashid. Nobody has scored quicker against him than Abhishek Sharma. From 43 balls, he has plundered 101 runs at a strike rate of 234.88 — the highest among all of them.
It’s not just a quirky number. It underlines how decisively he has broken the usual rules against Rashid. Where most look to survive, Abhishek has looked to dominate.
On the night, that intent spread through India’s chase.
Abhishek and Ishan light up Delhi
India lost Sanju Samson early for 10, but any Afghan hopes of squeezing the innings vanished almost immediately. Abhishek went after anything even fractionally off length, dragging the game away in a blur of clean hitting.
At the other end, Ishan Kishan played the perfect foil. He carved out 42 off 33 balls, not as explosive as Abhishek but relentless enough to keep Afghanistan under constant strain. The two left-handers fed off each other’s tempo and shredded the field placements.
Their partnership for the second wicket soared to 121 off just 53 balls. It wasn’t just big, it was rapid — the highest-ever 100-plus stand against Afghanistan in T20Is in terms of scoring rate. They scored at 13.70 runs per over, eclipsing the previous benchmark of 12.25, set when Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh smashed 190* off 93 balls in Bengaluru in 2024.
The numbers tell you it was brutal. Watching it, it felt even more lopsided.
By the end of the powerplay, India were already at 82 for 1. Afghanistan’s bowlers kept changing angles, lengths, and plans; the ball kept disappearing.
Cruise control to the finish
Once Abhishek and Ishan fell, the job was more or less done. The asking rate had collapsed, the fielders had chased leather, and the Afghan attack had run out of ideas.
Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma walked in with the luxury batters dream of: time and freedom. Iyer finished unbeaten on 8, Tilak on 3, nudging India past the line with 38 balls to spare. A seven-wicket win, as straightforward as the scorecard suggests.
India now lead the three-match series 1-0, and they’ve done it with a performance that will linger — not just for the margin, but for the manner.
On Tuesday, at the same venue, Afghanistan must find a way to respond. India, with Abhishek Sharma suddenly blazing at the top and numbers backing his fearlessness against one of the world’s premier T20 bowlers, will sense a chance to shut the door on the series before it even feels like it has begun.
