Harare, July 26: India all-rounder Abhishek Sharma etched his name into the record books after producing the best bowling figures by an Indian opening batter in T20 International cricket during the second T20I against Zimbabwe on Saturday.
The left-arm spinner claimed 3/17, the finest bowling return by an Indian opener in the shortest format, as India completed a commanding 90-run victory to seal the three-match series 2-0 with one game to spare.
Abhishek’s spell now completes a unique trio of landmark performances by Indian opening batters across all three international formats. Former all-rounder Vinoo Mankad continues to hold the Test record with his memorable 8/52 against Pakistan in 1952, while Ravi Shastri’s 5/15 against Australia in 1991 remains the best bowling figures by an Indian opener in One-Day Internationals.
Despite failing to make an impact with the bat after falling cheaply to Blessing Muzarabani, Abhishek more than made amends with the ball. Brought into the attack as a part-time spin option, he struck three crucial blows to derail Zimbabwe’s chase of a daunting 220-run target. Zimbabwe made a brisk start through Brian Bennett but lost momentum after his dismissal, with wickets falling at regular intervals. Abhishek finished with three scalps, while pacers Yash Thakur and Prince Yadav chipped in with two wickets apiece as the hosts were bowled out for 129.
Earlier, India recovered from a shaky 29/2, courtesy of an 81-run knock from Ishan Kishan and an unbeaten 60 by Tilak Varma.
Kishan steadied the innings before accelerating, while Tilak provided the finishing flourish to guide India to a formidable 219/5.India’s bowlers then completed the job in emphatic fashion, with Abhishek’s record-breaking spell proving the highlight of another dominant all-round performance by the visitors. (Agencies)
