Abhishek Sharma entered the record books with a remarkable milestone in England’s defeat to India | Cricket News
Abhishek Sharma added a unique record to his name during India’s fifth T20I against England at The Rose Bowl, becoming the player with the most T20I appearances before playing either a Test or an ODI for a Full Member nation.The left-handed opener featured in his 53rd T20I for India on Saturday, overtaking former West Indies spinner Samuel Badree, who played 52 T20Is without representing his country in the other two international formats.Most T20Is not seen in other formats (Full member teams)53 Abhishek Sharma52 Samuel Badree41 Tashinga Musekiwa30 Nuwan Thushara25 Harshal PatelThe landmark, however, came on a disappointing night for Abhishek and India as England completed a dominant 4-0 series sweep with a crushing 56-run win at Southampton.Opening the chase with a daunting 258, Abhishek’s stay was short-lived. Jofra Archer dismissed him for three after getting an extra bounce, with a left-hander that went past the wicketkeeper.India eventually finished on 201 for 8 despite half-centuries from Ishan Kishan (56) and Tilak Varma (53), which fell well short of England’s total.In the past, Jos Buttler produced one of the best innings of his T20I career, smashing 131 off 64 balls, while Harry Brook remained unbeaten on 95. Their massive 233-run partnership for the second wicket became the fourth highest stand in T20I history and powered England to 257 for 3.India’s bowlers struggled throughout the innings, while a sloppy fielding display added to their woes. Buttler was given a crucial reprieve after being dropped by Axar Patel, while Brook survived two dropped catches before making India pay.The loss also had far-reaching consequences beyond the series scoreline. England have replaced India at the top of the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, while Shreyas IyerThe team slumped to its sixth consecutive defeat in the format after the first 2-0 loss of the series in Ireland.Although Abhishek’s record highlights his growing presence in India’s T20I setup, the opener is yet to make his first appearance in ODI or Test cricket, making his latest milestone one of the rarest in international cricket.
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